Wrong Turns
by Lady Cianyin
Summary: Something terrible happens to one of the hunters, and a mysterious girl gives Marron the chance to help her change the past. But what is the price of her aid? Sorry, this isn't a sequel to Fox Hunt.
1. Part 1: Marron

Disclaimer: I do not own the Sorcerer Hunters. If they're OOC, it suited the story, so bear with me. I know what I'm doing. I think. Oh, and none of the characters contained herein belong to me unless otherwise specified (i.e., Peach Sorbet and a couple of other characters that will debut shortly). Please do not use them without asking.

Wrong Turns

Part One: Marron

Marron opened his golden eyes and stared up at the familiar wooden beams supporting the ceiling. He was in his room in his childhood home on Mt. Saint Hordic. He did not remember coming here, but he supposed that the others had brought him here in a futile attempt to try to help him recover.

The memory of the past few days had not deserted him, and he did not feel at all rested after several hours of nightmare-plagued sleep. He half-wished that the beams would simply snap under the weight of the upper story and crush him where he lay, but he knew that his teammates would not let him go that easily, not even after what had happened.

The young mage wondered bitterly why they hadn't just left him in the flaming wreckage of Peach Sorbet's castle. It would have been far easier that way, and Gateau would never have been hurt so badly. Marron would never understand what had driven the big man to nearly kill himself, running from room to room through the flames to save a man who did not want to be saved. In the end, Marron had been so weakened by his grief and loss that he had been unable to fight Gateau as he carried the mage to safety.

Thoughts like those threatened to crack through the icy numbness that had taken over Marron's soul, so he pushed them aside. But he couldn't ignore the void that had settled into his heart. If anything, that just made it worse.

Someone had opened the window to let in the gentle summer breeze. From where he lay Marron could see the lacy curtains billowing softly in the wind, and the scents of the herbs loving planted by Apricot many years ago drifted in with each ripple of fabric. There were bees droning mindlessly among the brightly colored flowers outside his window, and Tira had mentioned earlier when she had brought him something to eat that it was a lovely day; not a cloud in the perfect blue sky.

It meant nothing to him. How could it? Life had moved on, time was still passing; yet Marron's world had been shattered. 

It was amazing, he reflected, how he had never considered anything like this to ever be possible. The five Sorcerer Hunters had been an invincible team: Tira with her whip, Chocolate with her wire, Gateau with his awesome strength, Carrot with his Zoanthropy, and Marron with his magic. They had fought many battles together, overcome impossible odds and terrible enemies, even Zaha Torte himself. Certainly there had been moments where Marron had been afraid for another teammate's life, but they had always managed to pull through.

Until a few days ago, that is.

Whimpering softly, Marron turned onto his side and curled into a knot of misery, not caring that his three remaining teammates stood anxiously outside the door with Dota, his father, and most of the other Haz Knights. He muffled his sobs in his pillow, hoping and praying that they would just go away. He just wanted to be left alone.

"Niisan . . ."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It had been a routine assignment. The sorceress Peach Sorbet had been sacrificing young virgin women in order to raise some sort of demon that Big Mama had sealed away in the days that Zaha Torte had been a Haz Knight. Predictably, Carrot had been the most eager to complete this assignment to gain the "gratitude" of the young women he would save. Tira and Chocolate made the usual threats of bodily harm, but that only made Carrot run faster.

The only thing even remotely out of the ordinary was that Big Mama openly sent Mille Feuille with them, instead of having the Haz Knight meet them later on as she usually did. No one thought much of it, beyond the usual complaints and shrieks of protest from Carrot when Mille hugged him, and even Marron didn't notice Big Mama's worried frown as the six hunters left the Stellar Church.

No problems surfaced during their journey to Peach's castle. The weather was fine, the roads were largely free of traffic, and everyone was in good spirits. Their confidence in their ability to work as an efficient team to eradicate the threat posed by Peach Sorbet could not have been higher. Mille Feuille and the Misu sisters reached an understanding and a temporary truce regarding Carrot, and the three of them fought much less over him. The trip was much quieter after that, for which both Marron and Gateau were thankful.

It wasn't until they confronted Peach herself that things began to fall apart. It was obvious from the start that she would not be an easy opponent; she had far too much cunning to allow herself to be taken unawares without a plan for escape. Unsurprisingly, she summoned her minor demons to fight them and disappeared in a puff of pale orange smoke. This was a normal, anticipated part of the routine: they would defeat the demons, and then go find the sorceress.

Chocolate and Tira whirled through the air like demented ballerinas, cutting demons down left and right. Gateau, of course, used his massive fists, and Mille Feuille fought with his feathers. Carrot got in a few hits with his sword, even though he was mostly ducking behind Chocolate and Tira for protection. Marron had his hands full with sealing the defeated demons' souls as fast as he could, so he didn't notice when Peach returned to the room.

The same instant that Peach reappeared, Carrot was hit by a stray blast of magic from one of the flailing demons caught in Chocolate's wire. Carrot screamed as his body absorbed the magic and swelled into the huge bull-horned black monster.

"Aranju and Zoanthropy," Peach said calmly, one eyebrow raised as she watched Carrot's transformation. "I wonder, though, how much he can take?" She lifted a large milky gray crystal shaft and pointed it at the Carrot-beast. It glowed, and a brilliant light exploded from the tip, striking the Carrot-beast's chest as he strode toward the sorceress.

"Niisan!" Marron cried out in horror. That crystal was a rare form of forbidden magic that enhanced the user's power because it was made of solidified pure magic. There was no telling what the sorceress could do with it, as the effects were extremely random with each spell cast, and only a master of crystal magic, such as Peach Sorbet, could even hope to try to control it.

"Oh my god!" Gateau exclaimed.

Carrot screamed in a feral rage, writhing in pain as his body stretched out to a fifty-foot long serpentine shape, fur dropping away to reveal green scaly skin. A large green crest rose from his now reptilian head, and a forked tongue tasted the air beneath unblinking reptilian eyes. The young mage had never seen anything like this before, and it froze him in his tracks.

Tira looked up at Marron's shout and gasped, nearly allowing the demon she had pinned to escape. "Carrot!"

A moment later she was echoed by Chocolate's terrified, "Darling!"

"This is absolutely fascinating," Peach was saying as she adjusted the beam of malevolent magic from her crystal. "Now, what would this do?"

"Marron, you have to stop her!" Mille Feuille yelled, grabbing Marron's arm to shake him out of his shocked stupor. "Carrot's body can't take much more of this. She's trying to burn him out by making him absorb way more magic than he can handle."

Even as Mille Feuille spoke, Carrot was shifting again. His serpent form shrank in on itself and sprouted four legs ending in cloven hooves. White fur sprang from the green scales, which suddenly fell in a rain of metallic clinks to the stone floor. The reptilian face lengthened and became a horse's head, a full white mane burst from the elongating neck, and a single pure white spiral horn grew from his forehead. His eyes grew larger, redder, and madder, roiling like the fires of hell in their sockets as he took yet another implacable step toward Peach.

"Hmm," Peach murmured with a sidelong glance at Marron. "As interesting as it would be to see what you turn into next, I think I must cut our little experiment short. So let's see how you handle this." And she threw the crystal at the Carrot-unicorn's head.

Tira and Chocolate both screamed something incoherent, forgetting that there were still a few demons waiting for the perfect time to attack them. They suddenly found themselves distracted by several black, squirming bodies with sharp teeth and claws even as they both reached for Carrot.

"Kuso!" Gateau hissed and leaped to help them. Mille Feuille was right behind him, leaving Marron to save his brother.

Nothing short of magical fire could damage the crystal that Peach had thrown at Carrot, Marron knew, and an entire stack of ofuda was in his hand before he had chosen what spell he would cast.

"Phoenix Inferno!" Marron cried out, but something heavy slammed into him from behind and the fire bird veered out of control, crashing into the wall. It exploded into flames, spreading quickly to engulf everything in its path. The ofuda spilled out of his hand over the slippery tile floor.

The crystal continued its inexorable arc toward the Carrot-unicorn's head.

"NO!!!" Marron screamed, shaking the heavy weight off of him as he struggled to grab an ofuda and to stand at the same time. His vision narrowed to his brother in unicorn form and the crystal slowly spinning as it drew closer and closer to hitting Carrot. He reached out to his brother even though he knew it was hopeless, and watched the gray crystal shatter on the Carrot-unicorn's forehead, just beneath the spiral horn.

For one agonizing moment, the Carrot-unicorn stood perfectly still, as if startled by the amount of pure magic its body was absorbing. Marron and the others stood transfixed by the sight, and even Peach was gawking at it. 

Then the Carrot-unicorn screamed in pain, rearing up and thrashing back and forth. Massive bubbles roiled underneath its skin, bursting to reveal legs, arms, heads, and other nearly unidentifiable body parts of many different animals and monsters. The fire spreading behind the horrifying apparition made it appear darker, shadowy, and infinitely more sinister.

One thought kept running through Marron's mind as he watched the grisly scene: _I failed my brother._

Then he could hear his teammates screaming, and then the flames rose up in a fiery tidal wave and crashed down again, consuming everything.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Marron gasped and sat bolt upright, staring wildly at nothing. Night had fallen, and the room was dark and cool, but sweat poured off his rail-thin body. He pushed a shaky hand through his tangled black hair, taking a deep breath. He had again been dreaming of that awful moment when he had failed to protect Carrot, as he had sworn that he always would. He had the sick, sure feeling that he would be dreaming of his failure for the rest of his life, and buried his head in his hands.

The horrible images of the dream did not fade; if anything, now they were more vivid than ever. Even when he had watched his brother die, they had not been so clear and sharp.

The window was still open, but he couldn't bring himself to appreciate the cool night breeze. Carrot would never feel it again. Carrot would never feel anything again.

A moan escaped his throat and he curled tightly into himself, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably. Hot, stinging tears burned his eyes and overflowed yet again even though he thought that he had cried himself dry by now.

After a few minutes, he heard a soft, hesitant tap on the door and stopped crying long enough to peer suspiciously at it. Why wouldn't they just leave him with his grief? Was it too much to ask for? He was not ready to be around other people yet. The wounds were far too deep and far too recent. He needed time to regain control over himself.

The tap came again, still very quiet, as if the person were trying not to attract the attention of anyone else in the house.

__

Go away, he thought viciously at the intruder. _Leave me alone!_

Against his will, the door opened, and a young woman he had never seen before cautiously peeked in. Her eyes were dark and very large, her thin face oval-shaped, and her skin was very pale in the moonlight. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun except where some of the strands had worked their way free and straggled around her face as if she had slept with her hair up, and she had draped a blanket over her thin shoulders.

"Who are you?" Marron demanded angrily. "What are you doing here?"

The young woman jumped, clutching at the door as if for reassurance or protection. "Forgive me," she whispered, eyes downcast.

"For what?" he snapped, not caring how rude he was being. _She_ had invaded _his_ privacy; he had every right to be furious.

She looked up, and he could see the shimmer of unshed tears in her eyes. She swallowed visibly and stepped forward, uninvited, into his room, closing the door behind her. Her eyes returned to the floor and she clasped her hands tightly in front of her.

"It was all my fault," she whispered, her voice choked with tears. She took a deep, shuddering breath, and the words came tumbling out so fast he couldn't make much sense of them. "I knew that the Paths were unstable, I knew that I should have waited for Reven-sensei to come get me so that something like this wouldn't happen, but I got so tired of always having to depend on him, to always be burdening him with my weaknesses that I – "

"What are you talking about?" Marron interrupted sharply. "What does this have to do with me?" Unspoken: _what does this have to do with my brother?_

She took another sobbing breath and collapsed to her knees. "I was on a Path between worlds," she said, just barely managing to keep control of herself. "It ... shifted, and I was thrown into this world from it." She looked up at him, not even seeming to notice the look of incredulity on his face. "Your friends said that I landed on you when I came here and … that's why your brother is dead. You would have been able to save him if I had not …"

Marron closed his eyes. He had wondered what it was that had hit him. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked in a surprisingly calm tone. His tongue felt thick, as if it were three sizes too big for his mouth.

She wiped the tears away from her eyes with her fingers, looking up at him desperately. "Because I can fix it," she told him softly. "I can make it so that this never happened."

To be continued …

Author's Notes: This is just an experiment. Please forgive me for tormenting poor Marron. I had this odd dream a couple of months ago, and the idea simply would _not_ leave me alone. Vanilla is not in this one; you don't need to read Fox Hunt to understand what I'm doing here. It's going to be a little complicated, but I decided to challenge myself before I decide to write a sequel to Fox Hunt. For everyone who requested that sequel, I don't mean to be a tease, but I don't have any concrete idea of where to go with it quite yet (the sequel, not this story ^_^). Hopefully this will shake something loose. ^_^

As always, if you enjoy this, please let me know in a review or an email. I won't promise that it'll make me write faster (my muse is moodier than I am), but it will at least make me feel better knowing that there are a few people out there who like it. Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome. Blatantly rude and unhelpful comments will be ignored. As a very wise person once wrote, "the only ones who laugh are those who stomp on flowers."

Thanks for reading!

~ Lady Cianyin ~


	2. Part 2: Gateau

Disclaimer: The Sorcerer Hunters do not belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own entertainment. Again, if any of the SH characters are OOC, it's because it suited the story. Ari and Reven are mine, by the way.

All hail Sweetgrass for beta-reading this for me. I'd bow down and praise you, but I'll hit my head on the keyboard. ^_^ You have my eternal gratitude.

Wrong Turns

Part Two: Gateau

Gateau shifted restlessly on the soft bed. He wondered idly what time it was, but then decided it didn't matter since it was probably well past midnight by now. Tira's healing magic had done wonders for his burns, but he could still feel the residual heat trapped beneath his skin, and he ached so badly all over that he hadn't been able to sleep.

Thoughts of Tira inevitably lead to thoughts of how Marron was doing. The big man sincerely hoped that the mage was asleep and dreaming peacefully of anything but what had happened a few days ago, but he figured that the effort was wasted. Marron had not taken it very well. Not that Gateau blamed him.

Carrot. That stupid, unbeautiful dolt. It still hurt to think about it, and he felt a strong pang of sympathy for Marron, who had lost his beloved older brother right before his eyes. And all Gateau had been able to do for Marron was to pull him out of the burning castle, even though he knew that the mage would have preferred to die there.

Damn that stupid girl! If only she hadn't popped out from wherever she'd been hiding, this wouldn't have happened. If only he had been paying more attention to Marron instead of Tira and Chocolate, who could take care of themselves. If only he'd been _faster_ when he heard Marron cry out, maybe he could have done _something_.

But he'd been across the room, assuming that Marron could handle anything that Peach threw at him. After all, every time that Carrot was in danger, Marron would go berserk and flatten the unlucky idiot threatening his brother. Gateau knew how deep the bonds between the two brothers were, and he had had personal experience with the agony of failing a sibling when she needed him the most. He'd gone through the same thing the day his parents had died and his sister Éclair had been kidnapped by Zaha Torte. He knew all too well the pain and despair that Marron was feeling.

If only that idiot – what's her name? Ari, that was it – hadn't shown up, Carrot would be alive. Marron wouldn't be pushing everyone away and wanting to die, Tira and Chocolate wouldn't look so empty and sad, and that girl-chasing dimwit would still be plaguing them all. Privately, Gateau decided that he would take Carrot's stupidity over the loss of light in everyone's eyes any day. Of course he'd never admit it, especially to Carrot. Well, he'd never get the chance now.

He'd wanted to kill Ari when he found out that she was the one who had prevented Marron from saving Carrot. He'd wanted to squeeze her scrawny neck and pound her body into dust, and he would have, if Mille Feuille hadn't stopped him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"She's just a woman!" the Haz Knight snapped, stepping in front of the wide-eyed girl protectively. "Leave her alone!"

"What the hell is your problem, Mille?" Gateau hissed back, his fists clenched. "Carrot is _dead_ because of her!" He couldn't look at Marron, who had collapsed in an untidy heap, staring soullessly at the burning castle where what was left of his brother's body lay. It was beyond hope of retrieval now. Nor could he look at Tira, kneeling beside Marron, with her hands glowing as she healed the mage's physical wounds. And he definitely couldn't look at Chocolate, who stood with her back to them, her thin shoulders rigid with tension and her arms wrapped around her middle protectively. All three of them were still in shock, and none of them seemed to have heard his outburst.

Mille's amber eyes narrowed dangerously. "It wasn't her fault, Gateau."

"She _fell_ on Marron. How can it not be her fault?" Tears were streaming down the girl's cheeks as she silently watched Gateau from over Mille's shoulder. His mind cried out in glee at that miserable expression, rejoicing in being able to hurt her after she had caused them all so much pain.

"You don't know her story. Don't be so quick to judge."

"Oh, and I suppose that _you_ know it?" The big man was trembling from barely suppressed rage and the need to kill, so that Carrot's death could be avenged. A part of him knew this would never make Marron, himself or the others feel any less grief, but a larger part simply did not care.

Mille arched a slender eyebrow. "I'm hardly a mind reader, Gateau," he said gently. "I was going to ask, before you tried to attack her."

Snarling, Gateau turned away. His eyes automatically sought out Chocolate, and his lips thinned in a disapproving frown when he saw how badly she was shaking. She was always so strong; she never showed any amount of fear or weakness to her enemies, but the loss of the man she'd loved since childhood had left her vulnerable, exposed, and deeply, deeply wounded. Tira had been hit just as hard as her sister, and all she could do was sit near the nearly catatonic Marron, shivering.

"It's been a long time, Lady Ariyana," Mille said quietly, and Gateau winced at the mild tone he used with the foolish chit. "I wish this was under better circumstances."

Gateau stiffened. Wait a minute – how did Mille know this girl? He turned around again to watch them suspiciously. The girl – he could hardly think of her as a _lady_ – was on her knees before the Haz Knight, crumpled in on herself in despair. Mille had knelt beside her and was tucking a stray strand of long brown hair behind her ear.

"Reven-sensei isn't here. Please don't call me that, Mille Feuille-san," the girl whispered miserably. "Not even Solano calls me that, and he gave me that name." Her small hands were fisted in her tunic, stretching and pulling at the fabric nervously.

A sad, tender smile curved Mille's lips. "Of course, Ari. Will you tell me what happened?"

Ari swallowed audibly. Tears continued in an unheeded stream down her pale, pale cheeks. "I got lost," she said at last, lowering her eyes. "I was traveling with Reven-sensei on the Paths, and we crossed an unstable part, and … "

"You were thrown off the Path?" Mille asked. 

She nodded mutely, biting her lip.

"What path?" Gateau demanded, unable to keep silent any longer. "What are you talking about, and what does this have to do with … " His voice trailed off when Tira looked up at him wearily, and his throat closed at the utter exhaustion in the poor girl's expression.

Mille's amber eyes followed his gaze, and he sighed softly. "We can discuss this later, when we get to Mount Saint Hordic," he said, rising to his feet.

"No," Gateau said firmly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "We will discuss this _now_."

"I agree," Chocolate said coldly, finally turning around to face them. Her blue eyes were so very empty that it frightened Gateau. "I would like to hear this, if you don't mind." She turned to Ari, her expression still carefully blank. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you for taking my Darling away from me."

Gateau nodded in approval even though a cold shiver went up and down his spine at the elder Misu's words. Chocolate hadn't even sounded human. Her voice neither wavered nor broke. Her eyes remained dry, and her mouth pressed into a firm line of tension. She would do whatever she deemed necessary to allow Carrot's soul to rest in peace, and she was making damn sure that this girl knew it.

Ari got up on her knees, her face a mask of desperation and sorrow. "I can fix it," she gasped, reaching out to Chocolate with one hand in a silent plea. "If I can just get back to the Gate I came through, I can loop time, and make it so that this never happened!"

Chocolate stared at her in surprise. A little bit of the normal Chocolate crept back into her blue eyes. "What do you mean?"

"No, Ari, it's too dangerous," Mille cut in. "The Paths are probably still unstable, the Gate is buried under the gods know how much wreckage, and the castle is still on fire. It has probably been destroyed by now."

"Please, Mille, I _have_ to try," Ari whispered, slumping back to the ground. "This is all my fault, and I can't just – "

"No. The best thing you can do right now is to wait for Reven to find you." Mille held out a hand to Ari and helped her up. "And not one more word about it, Ari."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Gateau frowned and settled his head against the pillow again. He'd retrieved it yet again from the floor, having decided for the second time that he really was more comfortable with it than without it. At the very least, it allowed him a brief respite from the uncomfortable thoughts he'd been having all night long.

Thinking about Ari and Carrot's death only made his insomnia worse. There was nothing that he could do about it anyway, nothing that he could say or do to make Marron or the girls feel better. Hell, there was nothing he could really do to make himself feel better, especially since Mille had taken Ari under his wing. 

Then again, killing Ari wouldn't bring Carrot back. It wouldn't make Tira smile, or Chocolate laugh. Nor would it give Marron a reason to go on living.

And she'd said that it was possible to change the past so that it would never happen. If he killed her, he would never find out why she had said that, or even if it was true. He wondered why Mille was so against trying to find the door or gate or whatever the hell Ari had fallen through. It didn't sound that difficult, other than sifting through tons of rubble. Maybe she had some kind of magic seeking device that would help her find the door and tell them where to dig. That would make it a lot easier.

Gateau shifted again, rolling onto his side to face the wall. Maybe he'd have to ask her about it. It might be just the thing to bring Marron out of his catatonic state, maybe give him a little hope. Tira was getting very worried about the mage. She'd told Gateau that afternoon that Marron hadn't eaten much of anything for two days, and that she might need his help to make him eat.

It was time to face the facts: he was not going to get any sleep tonight. As long as he was up and brooding over what to do with his friend, he might as well go check on him. Just to make sure that he didn't need anything, that he was sleeping all right – if at all. 

Sighing, he threw the covers off and stood up, ignoring the protests of damaged muscles. He pulled on the shirt and loose pants he'd left lying on the floor and padded on bare feet into the hallway.

Surprisingly, he saw the gleam of candlelight underneath Marron's door. As he drew closer he could hear the mage's voice, speaking in a hushed, intense tone. A woman's voice answered him after a moment. Gateau paused just outside the door, listening intently. He assumed that Tira had had the same idea and had gone to check on Marron too. Perhaps he had felt like talking, which was a good sign.

"Tell me about these Paths," Marron was saying.

It wasn't Tira. It was Ari. Gateau's fists clenched, and he took one step toward the door, a thin red haze clouding his vision. Couldn't she leave well enough alone? Why was she bothering poor Marron in the middle of the night? And why was he talking to _her_ when he wouldn't speak to his friends, damn it!

"They're like silver spider webs," Ari replied quietly. "They connect the worlds so that Reven-sensei and the others like him can travel between them. They are labyrinths, with many twists and turns and Gates into the worlds. Since there are an infinite number of worlds, there are an infinite number of Paths, which makes finding your way quite impossible without a map."

In spite of himself, Gateau was intrigued by her answer. He paused to listen with his hand inches from the doorknob.

"Why are the worlds connected? I don't understand."

"Reven-sensei said that the gods who made the worlds wanted to be able to visit them freely, so they made the Paths," Ari said shyly. "And then they chose powerful Guardians to watch over them so that those who accidentally wander onto the Paths do not become lost forever."

"Then your sensei is one of these Guardians?" Marron asked. There was a brief silence in which she might have nodded. The mage continued: "How can you use the Paths to change the past?"

Trust Marron to ask the right questions. Gateau smiled to himself and leaned forward to catch Ari's next words.

"It's not the Paths themselves; it's actually the Gate I came through that I will use," she corrected. "You see, the Gates allow travelers to enter into any time period that they wish to visit, but only if the traveler knows how to use a Gate. There are certain colors and patterns in the flow of the Gate that indicate where in time one will end up if one walks through it. Usually it's random, but Reven-sensei taught me how to arrange them into the right patterns."

"So if you go through the Gate into this world before my brother was killed … " Marron's voice trailed off. "Since you can't be in two places at once, you won't fall through the Gate, and Niisan won't die."

"Yes," Ari said wearily. "And then I can go home."

"I thought you said you were lost," Gateau spoke up, opening the door.

Ari jumped, startled by the big man's sudden appearance, but Marron just turned to look at him with that annoyingly blank expression he always got whenever Gateau stripped to show off his muscles. It was amazing how much that could hurt, coming from Marron.

"I have a map," Ari was saying, but Gateau wasn't looking at her. "I've been studying it, and I think I can find my way back home now."

Now Gateau managed to tear his eyes away from the worn out mage to the girl kneeling in front of him. "It's late," he said brusquely. "You should be in bed."

"It's all right, Gateau," Marron murmured, placing a slim hand on Ari's as she started to stand up. "I want her here."

Gateau flinched, but couldn't think of anything to say to that. The most horrible thing imaginable had happened to Marron, and he had sought this … this _girl's_ presence instead of one of his oldest friends. That cut more deeply than any harsh words from the mage's lips.

To make matters worse, Ari seemed to notice Gateau's discomfort, for she placed her other hand on top of Marron's to get his attention. "He's right. We should get some sleep. I can tell you more of what you wish to know tomorrow."

Damn it, he didn't need _her_ pity! "When are you leaving?" Gateau asked as if his heart had not just been torn out of his chest.

Marron turned to him, but his golden eyes weren't completely focused, and that, more than anything else, truly weirded Gateau out. "We will rest tomorrow, and then set out the day after that," he said.

This was more than just simple exhaustion. There was something seriously wrong with the beautiful black-haired mage. Ari evidently saw it too: she was frowning at him. She even glanced at Gateau as if she wanted to say something, but luckily, she kept her mouth shut.

"Fine," Gateau heard himself saying. "I'm going with you. And that's final."

Marron opened his mouth to make the expected protest, but then abruptly shut it again. "As you wish," he replied with a slight shrug. His tone implied that Gateau was being a spoiled brat, wanting to tag along on an ordinary errand because he couldn't bear to be separated from Marron for even a moment. "Good night, Gateau."

"Good night, Marron. Ari," he nodded at the girl. He knew a dismissal when he heard one, and wasted little time in exiting the room. At least he could take pride in the fact that he hadn't broken down in front of them, and his hand barely shook as he closed the door softly behind him.

Gateau stood for a few minutes in the hallway, furiously blinking back traitor tears and breathing deeply to regain control over his emotions. Then, knowing that sleep would be utterly impossible now, he turned and walked away from Marron's door. If he couldn't sleep, he might as well go sit out in the garden for a while. He needed the fresh air anyway.

To be continued …

Author's Notes: I know, I know, I was very brutal to poor Gateau. That's probably why this took me so long. I'm not going to be nice to _anyone_ in here for a while. There is a reason for it, however, which I will be getting to shortly. Marron's part wrote itself, practically, but I had more trouble with this one, so any feedback with suggestions would be highly appreciated, even if you think I'm doing okay so far.

And if you happen to see an error, whether in the plot, grammar, spelling, or whatever, please, please, please, PLEASE **point it out!** Feedback is highly appreciated, especially if it'll help me improve my writing.

Anyway, I apologize to those of you who dislike it when authors individually thank their reviewers, but I'm going to do it anyway. You don't have to read this part, of course. ^_^ 

BluePard: Thank you for all of your glowing praise! ^_^ I shall try my best to live up to your expectations. I like this story a lot more than I ever liked Fox Hunt, which gives me more of an incentive to do better on this one. I just liked the image of demented ballerinas (graceful, yet deadly), and, ah, the Carrot-unicorn thing … well, let's just say that it sounded better than a plain old horse. ^_^ Even a rabid plain old horse.

Sweetgrass: Thank you again for letting me take advantage of your editorial skills! I'm glad you liked the first chapter. ^_^

Mothra: Thank you! Aren't you glad I took your advice? ^_^ Sorry I made you wait so long for this.

Fala: Thank you! I'm so glad you like it so far. ^_^ I have read volume six of the SH manga (the Kengyu Kiba chapter is one of my absolute favorites), and I agree: Marron is _very_ good at death-glares. As I'm sure that you noticed in this chapter (and you'll see where I'm going with it in future chapters), Marron is not exactly himself, which is why he's acting this way. I don't want to give too much away, so just stick with me on this one. ^_^ Don't worry, more is on the way.

Amanda: Thank you! Brotherly angst makes this series so much fun to play with. ^_^

Thanks to everyone for reading!

~ Lady Cianyin ~


	3. Part Three: Tira

Disclaimer: The Sorcerer Hunters are still not mine, I'm just borrowing them for a bit. I'll give them back. Eventually. Ari and Reven, however, are my own original characters. And any OOC-ness in any of the Sorcerer Hunters is there because it suits the story. Don't bother telling me that it's there, because I already know and I'm not changing it.

Wrong Turns

Part 3: Tira

Tira woke when the shaft of sunlight spread across her face. She lay there for a moment, blinking to try to clear the dry, grainy feeling out of eyes swollen from too much crying. Her entire body hurt from fatigue, and she had been stretching her remaining reserves of strength far too thin in the last couple of days.

Carrot was gone. It wasn't just a bad dream. She would never again wake up to find the lazy idiot snoozing away while the rest of the Sorcerer Hunters got ready for another day of travel. She would never again hear Marron asking her to whip his brother back into shape. Nor would she ever be able to chase after him with Chocolate to keep him from flirting with other girls, or hear his voice, see him grin that goofy grin…

But lying in bed cursing fate and crying until your eyes felt like they'd been coated with sand never helped anyone. Besides, Tira Misu had patients to check on. Gateau's burns were probably completely healed by now, but she needed to make sure that he didn't have a fever or any other complications. She also had to bring Marron his breakfast, and make sure that he ate it, and she had a feeling that Chocolate would need her after she was finished. They still hadn't talked about it yet.

Speaking of her sister, Chocolate's side of the bed had not been slept in. The covers were far too smooth to have been used the night before by her older sister, who tossed and turned in her sleep all the time. And she never made the bed in the morning, especially if Tira was still asleep in it. Tira hoped that Chocolate hadn't gone too far from Onion's house. She really wanted to talk to her sister, but she didn't want to have to go looking all over Mt. Saint Hordic for her.

Tira got up and mechanically went through her morning routine. She dressed and pulled her long pink hair back to splash cold water on her face, not paying attention to how pale and sickly she looked in the mirror. With Carrot gone, it didn't matter anymore if she was pretty or not.

It was still early, so the hallways were deserted. Tira wasn't expecting to see anyone yet; Dota and the Haz Knights, minus Mille Feuille, had all gone to the village's temple to help Big Mama prepare for Carrot's funeral. Mille had stayed behind for Ari's sake, since he was the only person that she knew in this place. He was probably still asleep too.

When she entered the kitchen, Onion Glace and Chocolate were both passed out at the table, a large, empty jug of sake between them. Chocolate had buried her face in her arms on the table. Onion was leaning back in his chair, snoring loudly. Tira's expression softened when she saw the tearstains on his unshaven cheeks. Then she turned around and silently left the kitchen again to go to the linen closet.

Onion might have pretended not to care about his elder son, but he too had been hurt deeply by Carrot's death. He had literally collapsed when Mille told him what had happened. He had to be carried to bed. Then he'd spent the previous two nights consuming vast amounts of sake. Mille joined him the first night, and Chocolate drank with him the second night. It wasn't helping, but at least Onion was aware of that. He had promised Tira that he would cut back after the memorial service today.

Back in the kitchen, Tira draped a blanket over each of them, pausing briefly to turn Chocolate's head so the redhead could breathe a little more easily. Very gently, she stroked her sister's temple, brushing long strands of hair out of her face. Chocolate stirred, but did not wake. Tira managed a faint smile before she quietly turned away to make breakfast for Marron.

When her stomach rumbled, she made a little extra for herself. And she decided to make a tray for Ari, too. Mille had asked her to be kind to the girl, to believe him when he told her that it really wasn't Ari's fault that Carrot was…

Tira sighed. It was so hard not to be angry with her, but she was trying not to hold Ari responsible. Tira knew that Carrot wouldn't like it if they blamed Ari for his death, and not just because she was a pretty girl. From what little she'd seen of her, Ari was polite, shy, and very quiet. She washed her own dishes and kept to herself, for the remaining Sorcerer Hunters had made it obvious that she was not welcome among them. Hardly anyone spoke to her, except for Mille Feuille.

It wasn't fair that only Mille was willing to give her a chance, Tira decided. Maybe she should make more of an effort to be nice to the poor girl. But every time she looked at Ari, she saw again the last vision she'd had of Carrot as a unicorn, melting into something else as the flames from Marron's spell closed around it. It was an image that would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life.

Behind her, Onion shifted in his chair, groaning. Tira turned to look at him, afraid that she had awakened him, but he still appeared to be sleeping. "I'm sorry, Apricot…" he mumbled, his arm twitching, as if to ward off a blow. Then, with a sigh, he leaned back in the chair and began snoring again.

Tira smiled sadly and turned back to the porridge on the stove. Suddenly, she realized that it was boiling and on the verge of burning. She gasped, lifted it off the burner and onto the cooling rack.

"Phew! That was close," she muttered underneath her breath. "I hope it's still okay."

It stopped boiling after a moment. Tira sniffed it cautiously, then took a small spoonful, blowing on it first so that it wouldn't scald her tongue. She nodded, satisfied that she hadn't burned it too badly, and ladled it out into three bowls. 

She set one bowl on each of the two trays, turned to leave the kitchen, and paused. Would Marron mind having a little company while he ate? The mage had been so quiet and withdrawn, but he might be ready to talk about it now. If he wasn't, that was fine. She just wanted to spend a little time with her friend, a person who understood her grief and felt Carrot's loss just as deeply, if not more, than she did.

With a shrug, she set her own bowl on Marron's tray and set off toward Ari's room to deliver her tray first. If the mage didn't want her there, she could always carry it out to the garden instead.

Strangely, Ari was not in her room when Tira knocked on the door. She was puzzled for a moment, but then decided that Ari had probably gone out to the garden or something, so she shut the door and continued on down the hallway.

It was awkward balancing the two trays on one arm to free her right hand, but she somehow managed it, and tapped on Marron's door. She wasn't expecting an answer, but she waited a moment anyway for politeness' sake.

"Come in," Marron called softly, his voice muffled by the door. Tira nearly dropped the trays. That was far better than she'd hoped for, considering that today was the day that they would all say goodbye to Carrot forever…

Resolving not to think about that now, she gathered her scattered wits and opened the door, peering in timidly. Marron turned to look at her from the cushioned seat under the window.

"Good morning, Tira," he said quietly. He was still a bit more pale than usual, and there were dark circles under the hollows of his eyes, but he seemed all right.

"Marron!" she exclaimed. "I didn't think that – "

"Shh," the mage said, lifting a finger to his lips. "Don't wake her." He gestured toward the bed. 

Don't wake _her_? That was the last thing she had ever expected him to say. All she could do for a moment was stare at him in surprise. Didn't he like Gateau? Who was this woman sleeping in Marron's bed? She followed his gaze, and received another shock: it was Ari. The girl was sound asleep, curled up on her side with the blankets tucked up to her chin.

"I kept her up late last night, talking," Marron explained with an amused smile at Tira's blush. "She eventually fell asleep trying to answer one of my questions, so I let her have my bed."

"Oh," Tira said uncomfortably. That made sense, but … why had he gone to Ari instead of her or Gateau, or even Mille, if he needed to talk? It almost seemed like a betrayal of their friendship, and she found herself hoping that Gateau didn't know anything about this. It would only hurt him if he did.

Then something else occurred to her that made her cringe inwardly. Marron had obviously forgiven Ari, and judged her worthy of his respect and friendship. He had done what no one else had been able – or, more accurately, willing – to do. That shamed her deeply. 

Marron had been Carrot's brother; Tira was only his friend, however much she had wished for more. If the mage was willing to forgive something like that so quickly, then what did that say about the rest of the Sorcerer Hunters, treating poor Ari like something that had crawled out from under a rock?

"I brought you both something to eat," Tira went on hesitantly after a moment.

Marron smiled and took the proffered tray from her. "Thank you," he said, and glanced over at Ari. "She probably won't wake up for a while, but I think I'm hungry enough that it won't go to waste."

Tira smiled and pulled a chair over to sit by him. "I'm not surprised," she said softly. "You haven't eaten very much lately."

Sadness darkened his golden eyes for a moment, and he looked away. "I know." He sighed and picked up the bowl of porridge. "Ari convinced me to take better care of myself, though. I don't think that Niisan would be happy if I starved to death."

Tira nodded gravely. "No, he wouldn't be," she murmured sympathetically, though privately a pang of jealousy had her wincing. What was it about this strange girl that had got through to him where his friends could not? How many hours had Tira sat at his bedside, trying to encourage him to eat? What had Ari said to him during their long talk? And why couldn't she, Tira, have said whatever it was?

Tira studied him covertly as he ate, marveling at how much he looked like Carrot. If the mage cut his hair, got a nice, healthy tan, and wore Carrot's clothes, they'd look like twins. Except for Marron's golden eyes, anyway. They had always been the major physical difference between the two brothers, at least to Tira.

Those golden eyes caught her attention now. He had noticed her scrutiny, and she couldn't quite stop a blush from spreading over her cheeks.

"What is it?" Marron asked, raising one eyebrow.

"N-nothing," she stammered, turning away. Her face was positively flaming now. She'd know the dark-haired mage for years, and she'd always thought that he was handsome. He had never affected her like this before … so why now?

A slender hand reached out and touched her chin, gently making her face him again. For a long moment, Marron stared into her eyes, his expression serious and intent. Tira could do nothing but stare back, into the golden eyes that seemed to absorb and become her entire world in an instant.

Then the fingers on her chin fell away, and his eyes released her. She came back to herself with a start, gazing at him in wonder. But he only sighed, as if troubled.

"Tira," Marron said heavily, with something very like regret in his tone, "I'm not Carrot."

It made sense, in a horrible, stomach-churning way. Tira's world came to a screeching halt at those soft words. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think. She could feel her hands clenching on the edge of the chair, and looked down to see her knuckles turning white under the strain of her grip. They blurred under the onset of sudden tears; her shoulders shook with the effort it took to suppress her sobs.

"I'm sorry," he was saying. "I can't be what you need."

Suddenly, she could move again. As if that statement had been what she was waiting for, she leapt up from the chair and blindly fled Marron's room. The tears clouding her eyes overflowed as she ran. She paid no attention to where she was going. All she wanted was to escape the sadness in Marron's eyes, the brutal accusations from her conscience. 

Marron was right. He knew her too well. And she had almost been selfish enough to hurt them both by trying to see Carrot in him, to transfer the feelings she'd had for the elder brother to the younger. Of all people, Marron did not deserve that. It just wasn't fair, neither to him, nor to herself.

Tira ended up in the garden. She stood for a few minutes, gasping and sobbing in mingled shame and distress, until she noticed that Gateau had been sleeping on a bench not far from where she stood. He was awake now and peering up at her out of sleep-fogged blue eyes. His expression quickly changed from weary to concerned the longer he stared at her.

"Tira?" he said, his voice rough, as if with disuse. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"Nothing," she said, ducking her head to hide her tears. "I-I'm fine."

Gateau snorted. Tira jumped at the sound, realizing that he was now standing right in front of her. He reached out and tilted her head back, brushing her tears away with his other hand. "These say you're lying," he told her calmly, showing her his wet fingers. He stepped away from her and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well? Are you going to tell me what upset you?"

His stern expression was spoiled by a huge yawn, but Tira didn't smile. She could hardly look at him. "I-It was Marron," she said thickly, wiping away fresh tears. "He told me that … that he wasn't Carrot."

Gateau was quiet for so long that she was afraid that she'd angered him. After all, the blond man had been pursuing Marron for several years to no avail. Nonetheless, this was like infringing on his territory. The silence stretched for several moments, playing on her frayed nerves until she wanted to scream.

"Oh, Tira," he said finally, gathering her to his chest. He buried one large hand in her pink hair, cradling her head with such gentleness that her eyes prickled with yet more tears. "You poor thing. This is hurting you more than we've seen, isn't it?"

At those words, the tight control she had over her emotions snapped. She buried her face in his chest to muffle her sobs. It didn't help that Gateau kept stroking her hair, crooning soothing words to encourage her to let it all out. It was so unlike the big man to be so patient and comforting, but it was what she needed more than anything, and for that, she was grateful.

It was only minutes later that Tira cried herself out, though it felt like hours. She didn't step away from the comfort of Gateau's embrace, nor did he show any sign of releasing her yet.

"I'm so tired," Tira murmured against his chest.

"I think we all are," Gateau replied softly. "None of us has slept well since … it happened."

Tira pulled back a little to smile up at him. "Thank you, Gateau. I needed that."

He smiled back at her. "Any time," he promised, giving her one last squeeze before he let her go.

"I hate to interrupt," Mille Feuille said solemnly, and they both turned to look at him, "but it's time."

Tira sighed, feeling some of the weight that had been lifted from her shoulders ease back to its favorite resting spot. She had no idea how she was going to get through this. How could she say goodbye to the only man she'd ever truly loved? 

More than that, how could she say goodbye to her best friend? The one who had saved her so many times, the one she'd laughed with, cried with, and fought along side (and sometimes with) for so many years?

Then Gateau touched her arm gently, and she looked at him, seeing the dark circles etched under his eyes for the first time. "Come on, let's go," he said wearily. "It's going to be a long day."

Tira nodded. Of course. Gateau would be there, and so would Chocolate, and Marron, and Mille, and Big Mama, and all of the other people who mattered to her. They would help her get through this ceremony, just as she would help them. She could do anything as long as they were with her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The memorial service was very beautiful. Since they were unable to recover Carrot's body from the wreckage of Peach's castle, a simple stone marker was carved with his name and set up next to Apricot's grave. 

As expected, Dota was a complete mess, crying so hard that she could barely stand. Unable to do much else, she clung to Sirius. Big Mama recited Carrot's eulogy, praising his bravery and dedication to his friends, family, and the common people of Spooner. Then Onion said a few words, and even Mille Feuille made a short speech in Marron's place, since the mage was too overwrought with grief.

Tira and Chocolate clung to each other's hand as they stared at the small stone marker. It was all that was left of Carrot. Neither sister spoke. Their eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Tira looked up once to see Marron standing with Ari. She frowned when she noticed that the dark-haired mage was holding the girl's hand like a drowning man clinging to a lifeline. Ari had her head bowed, but every once in a while Tira noticed that she would wince, as if Marron was squeezing her hand too hard.

Tira hoped that he was. She didn't care how petty she was being; the girl did not belong there. Ari had caused this. It was all her fault!

Suddenly, Mille Feuille caught Tira's attention, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. His amber eyes were fixed on her almost pleadingly, and she relented, returning her gaze to the stone marker. It was possible that Marron had asked Ari to come for some reason, whether to expiate her own guilt, or just to keep him company. She would respect that - for now.

The entire population of the Sorcerer Hunters' hidden village came to pay their respects. The children were told that they were there to say good-bye to a great hero. They stayed solemn and silent throughout the service.

The Haz Knights were all there, helping Onion keep his composure while the speeches were given. When Onion's turn came, he was pale, his face pinched and drawn, but his voice was steady as he spoke about his elder son. After the ceremony, he excused himself and quickly walked away from the graveyard. 

Cinnamon Tea, one of the Haz Knights, followed him slowly to make sure he'd be all right. Everyone else stayed for a bit longer to talk to friends about the tragedy and how much they would miss Carrot.

Eventually, everyone began filtering down the mountain toward the Stellar Church, to make offerings of incense and food to Carrot's spirit. His former teammates stayed to bid a private farewell. Ari stayed because Marron still hadn't let go of her hand yet.

"Kuso," Gateau muttered after a long moment of silence. "I can't believe he's really gone."

"It's like a bad dream," Tira agreed, "only I can't wake up."

Suddenly, Chocolate's hand tightened on her sister's. Concerned, Tira looked at her. She was glaring at Ari. "What is she doing here?" Chocolate demanded coldly, her blue eyes glinting like steel.

Tira winced inwardly. Trust Chocolate to pick a bad time to become observant. None of the Sorcerer Hunters wanted to have their last moment with Carrot tarnished by bloodshed. Couldn't this wait until later? Carrot was what was important now, not Ari.

Marron turned from the stone with Carrot's name on it to face Chocolate. "I asked her to come," he replied calmly, his golden eyes hard. "Is there a problem?"

Chocolate hissed and withdrew her hand from Tira's, pulling on her dominatrix hat and reaching for the coiled length of wire at her belt. Ari's eyes widened. "How can you ask me that? You know as well as I do what happened, and why. How can I honor my Darling's spirit with _her_ here?"

"Whoa, Chocolate, calm down!" Gateau said, but was ignored.

Marron pulled Ari behind him protectively. The girl looked at him, frowning worriedly, but said nothing. Her eyes returned to watching Chocolate pace toward them. "You will have to go through me, Chocolate."

This was definitely not good. Tira was not certain that Marron would be enough of a shield if Chocolate truly wanted to kill Ari. But she couldn't betray her sister and step in now … could she? Even if Carrot wanted her to?

The redhead's blue eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in disgust. "You're protecting your brother's murderer, Marron," she said pointedly. "You might want to rethink the logic behind that."

"It was an accident," the mage retorted. "Even I can understand that." He turned to smile at Ari, who simply looked back at him with wide brown eyes. "Besides, she has promised that she will bring Carrot back."

Gateau seemed unsurprised by the announcement, but Tira looked from Marron to Ari in astonishment. She could bring Carrot back? Hope flared painfully in her breast; Tira wanted so much to believe that it was possible, but she didn't know if she could afford to let herself.

"It's true," Ari spoke up, moving around Marron to confront Chocolate. "I can do it."

"I've heard of those spells," the elder Misu said dismissively, crouching into her fighting stance. "If you use them, Carrot will come back to life, but it won't be my Darling anymore. Just a shade wearing his form, free to wreak havoc on this world. You don't think that I'll let you do that, do you?"

"No, it's not a spell," Ari said, taking a step forward. She kept her hands at her sides in plain sight of the redhead. "I can change the past. I will make it so that I never fall through the Gate. Marron will save his brother, and you will never even meet me!"

Chocolate stared at Ari, and Tira could see the same hope she felt flickering deep within her sister's eyes. "How is that even possible?" she asked as if she too was afraid to trust Ari's words.

"I'll go back through the Gate I fell into," Ari said gravely. "I can manipulate time in this realm from the other side, then come back and make sure that I can't fall through it again. I swear that I will do everything in my power to change what happened, regardless of what it takes."

"Ari, I thought I told you that it's too dangerous!" Mille Feuille interrupted suddenly, stalking angrily up to her. The Haz Knight was holding a large, leather-bound book under one arm, but Tira forgot all about that in the next instant.

Ari whirled on him, her eyes flashing desperately. "Mille-san, _please_! I can't just leave it like this when it's my fault - "

Mille raised an eyebrow, effectively silencing her. He glanced at each of the Sorcerer Hunters in turn, then back at Ari. "Ari," he said quietly, "how many times have you manipulated time through a Gate?" 

The girl stiffened, her face draining of color. Tira held her breath for the answer, sure that she was not going to like it, that the irrational hope would be firmly squelched by it.

"How many times, Ari?" Mille repeated patiently.

"None," Ari whispered, looking away. Then she straightened and glared at him defiantly. "But that doesn't mean that I can't do it. I've watched Reven-sensei hundreds of times, and I have an affinity for Gate-work." She turned to Marron. "I will change the past for you, no matter how many times I have to do it."

Marron nodded, serenity and confidence radiating from him. "I believe you," he told her.

Tira smiled at the relief in Ari's expression. The girl was taking responsibility for her actions, and for that, Tira admired her. It was not an easy thing to stand up to Chocolate and Mille Feuille.

Mille sighed, exasperated. "You're going to do this no matter what I say, aren't you?"

"Yes," Ari said firmly.

The Haz Knight threw his arms up in the air, hefting the large book with ease. "I don't know why I bother when none of you are going to listen to me," he complained, and suddenly seemed to remember that he was still holding the book. "Here, Ari, this came for you."

Ari frowned, puzzled. "But who would - " She broke off on a gasp, taking the book from Mille with trembling hands. "This is Reven-sensei's journal…"

To be continued…

Author's Notes: This was another very hard chapter for me to write. I feel like a total bully now. Ah, well. There is a point to this, I promise. I wouldn't pick on poor, innocent Tira if there were no reasons for it. Any comments/ suggestions/ whatever so far? Am I doing okay with this, or is there something that needs to be worked on? Please let me know! So far I've been getting good feedback, but I'm not sure if that's only because you're being nice by not saying anything. I know it's hard to say much because I haven't posted it all as of yet, but if anyone sees any grammar, spelling, plot or other kinds of problems, PLEASE point them out. I won't be angry. I'll probably be extremely grateful.

Anyway, to my reviewers from the last chapter:

Fala: Thank you! I knew you would be a good person to ask if I'd gotten Gateau's character down. My primary inspiration for his character comes from the manga, where he actually gets some lines and a past, unlike in the anime. I also look at what other fanfiction writers are doing, and their perspectives on him. I still don't particularly care for Gateau, but I tried to remain neutral and not let that show. I'm glad it didn't. ^_^

Amanda: Thank you! I'm glad you like it so far, and I'm sorry I made you wait so long. It wasn't intentional. ^_^

BluePard: Thank you! I can see why you have those concerns, and though it pains me, I can't say anything yet. I'll give something very important away if I do. As for the POV switching thing … I hate just sticking with only one character in my stories. It's so limiting. I have to explore what everyone is thinking and feeling, or I'm not happy with it. I would be very pleased if you would just stick with me for the rest of this. I sincerely hope that you are not disappointed with the results. ^_^

Thanks to everyone for reading! Please leave a review.

~ Lady Cianyin ~


	4. Part 4: Marron

A million thanks to Sweetgrass for beta-ing this and the last chapter for me. ^_^

Disclaimer: The Sorcerer Hunters are not mine (sigh …). Ari and Reven and this story are. Any OOC-ness on the part of the Sorcerer Hunters is there because it suits the story. I think that covers it. ^_^

Important Note: For those of you who may be confused, the "Rouge Camera" is that book from the Sorcerer Hunters anime, episode thirteen: Between Dreams and Reality. I took the spelling from the subtitled version. It doesn't matter if you haven't seen this episode, and there's no real spoiler for it either.

Wrong Turns

Part 4: Marron

"I will change the past for you, no matter how many times I have to do it," Ari said, sincerity and desperation clear in her brown eyes.

Marron nodded, projecting the composure and conviction that would reassure her. "I believe you," he said quietly, smiling gently.

Ari relaxed visibly. She had told him that Mille Feuille would react this way, and he wasn't worried. After Gateau had left them last night, Marron had asked her to describe in detail how she would work with the Gate, what would happen, and what he could reasonably expect to remember afterward. She had been very thorough in her explanations.

Ari had even shown him the map that her sensei had given to her. It was a clear green glass sphere that fit in the palm of her hand. When she activated it, an upside-down conical beam of green light projected out from the sphere, forming a fairly broad, flat circle at the top. If one looked down at the circle, one saw a two-dimensional maze traced in white through the green. Looking into the green light from any side, one saw a three-dimensional network of paths very like the spider webs Ari had compared them to, with irregular splotches of color that indicated Gates.

"You're going to do this no matter what I say, aren't you?" Mille was saying, still frustrated.

"Yes," Ari said firmly.

Mille threw his arms up in the air, hefting a large book with surprising ease. It was nearly the size of his torso, and Marron found himself wondering how he had missed seeing the book before. 

"I don't know why I bother when none of you are going to listen to me," Mille complained, and suddenly seemed to remember that he was still holding the book. "Here, Ari, this came for you."

Ari frowned, puzzled. "But who would - " She broke off on a gasp, taking the heavy book from Mille with trembling hands. "This is Reven-sensei's journal … Mille-san, where did you get this?"

Mille's lip curled in disgust. "One of the sprites brought it. Don't ask me how or why, but it caught up with me as I was walking down the mountain, and then it vanished again."

Marron raised an eyebrow. Interesting. Perhaps there would be something in the journal that would help Ari.

"Why a sprite?" Ari wondered aloud, running her hand over the smooth leather cover of the book. "Why wouldn't he just send Talikhan to get me?"

"Beats me," Mille muttered, still looking peeved. "He should know that I don't like sprites. I could have done quite well without seeing one ever again, thank you very much."

"Who's Talikhan?" Gateau ventured, as if wary of the answer he might receive.

"The Guardian of the Paths around your world," Ari said absently, still absorbed in caressing the journal. "Reven can't come here without his permission. It would cause too many problems if he acted directly here. He isn't attuned to the emanations from the Paths in Talikhan's section, and any spell he cast would be affected by that power, even if he just opened a Gate. It could rip your world apart…"

She trailed off, frowning at the book. She had forgotten her audience. They simply stared at her.

"What are you talking about?" Gateau asked after a long moment of confused silence.

Ari started and looked up. "Ah … never mind. Reven-sensei wouldn't do something like that, so it's really not important." 

Mille winced. "Not important, she says."

Ari ignored him and glanced down at the book again. Then she hesitantly opened the cover, turning to the first page. Her eyes widened.

"What is it, Ari?" Marron asked her, concerned.

Wordlessly, Ari tilted the heavy book to show him the page. The mage leaned forward, his golden eyes skimming over the pristine white paper. At the top of the page, in a flowing, elegant script, were these words: _Hello, Ari. Are you all right?_

"What kind of magic is that?" Tira exclaimed from behind Marron.

More words flowed in crisp, black lines over the paper. _A very complicated one. But, since Talikhan is nowhere to be found, it is the only option I have at this point._

Only Marron was close enough to hear the sudden, sharp intake of breath Ari made. He glanced at her curiously, wondering why she was so pale all of a sudden. From the way that she spoke of her sensei, it was apparent that he meant a great deal to her. Marron had never considered that she might be afraid of Reven.

"Reven-sensei?!" Ari gasped. "How did you find me?"

"Interesting," the Haz Knight noted, leaning forward to get a better look. "Why didn't you tell me that he could do something like this?" He actually sounded impressed.

"I didn't know," Ari replied, her eyes on the book.

__

Yes, it's me, came the reply to Ari's question. Marron redirected his attention to the pages. _I'm sorry that I can't be there. I see you still have the map I gave you. I put a tracing spell in it. That's how I knew where to send the sprite to find you._

"Of course I still have it," Ari replied softly. "I wouldn't lose something that important … but there is a problem."

__

That's why you haven't come home yet. What happened?

Chocolate pushed everyone aside to stare down at the book. Ari gazed at her apprehensively, biting her lip, but the elder Misu sister ignored her. Marron exchanged a fleeting look with Tira, nodding almost imperceptibly in Chocolate's direction. Tira frowned unhappily, but unobtrusively moved to place herself in a good position for interference if the redhead tried to harm Ari.

Marron was glad. Tira was the only one of the group capable of reaching Chocolate through the depths of her grief and rage to stop her with words instead of violence. He did not want Chocolate to be hurt any more than Tira did, but if she attacked and killed Ari, then Carrot would never come back. Like it or not, she had to recognize that the girl was their only hope of ever seeing his brother again. Thankfully, Tira seemed to feel the same way; otherwise she would not openly defy her sister like this.

"This isn't anything like the Rouge Camera, is it?" Chocolate asked suddenly, her eyes glinting like cold, blue steel as she raised them to meet Ari's.

Ari looked confused. She dropped her gaze down to Reven's journal again, then glanced back at Chocolate. "He says that he doesn't know what the Rouge Camera is, but he doubts it," she replied.

"It's a forbidden spell that sucks people inside of it so that it can tell a story. It uses their dreams and desires to trap them for all eternity," Chocolate said coolly. She looked at Marron suddenly, her expression so stony and fierce that the mage felt a shiver of unease up and down his spine. "Are you so certain that she is telling the truth when she says she will bring Darling back? Or could she perhaps be deceiving you for her own purposes?"

Marron stared at her in shock. "Chocolate, I understand your grief," he said gently, hoping that it was the right thing to say, "but Ari has offered to help us undo the terrible accident that took my brother away from us. How can you, how can _any_ of us just turn our backs and walk away from this chance?"

Tira touched her sister's arm. The redhead gave a start and turned to look at her. "It's hope, sister," the pink-haired girl said quietly. "I would never be able to live with myself, knowing that I had a chance to bring Carrot back and I didn't take it."

Tears shone in Chocolate's eyes, shimmering on the unyielding steel. "And if she betrays us?" she asked, her tone unwavering. "If she goes through this gate and simply deserts us here? Is your hope worth my _sanity_?!" Her voice rose and cracked desperately on the last word.

Marron lowered his eyes to give her a moment to compose herself again. It could not have been easy to let her icy façade slip in front of Ari. 

Chocolate had never liked showing too much emotion in front of so many people. She normally hid her feelings behind a smiling mask as she plastered herself to Carrot or the cold brutality of her Sorcerer Hunter personality.

He had had the same doubts as Chocolate when Ari had first come to him with her promise to fix everything. His reaction had been nearly the same as hers too. Only Ari's stubborn persistence to make things right and repeated pleads for him to just listen to her for a moment had prevented him from sending her away.

And when he gave in and let her speak, he found that, to his surprise, he truly did trust her. The fragile hope he gained from her words could never fully assuage the sharp, bitter ache of loss he carried within his heart, but it gave him something to live for. That was the only reason that he had got out of bed and started eating and speaking to his friends again, instead of simply wasting away in silence.

Well, that and the thought of explaining to his brother why he had let himself die of desolation. Carrot had protected him all of his life. He would not be happy to hear what selfish depths his anguish had nearly driven him too.

Suddenly, Ari shoved the large book at Mille. He automatically grabbed it, frowning uneasily at the girl.

"If you won't believe my word, which I can't say that I blame you for," Ari said, taking a step toward Chocolate, "then I will give you an oath that even Reven-sensei himself could not break."

Chocolate frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

"Ah, Ari," Mille interjected, "Lord Reven says that he knows what you're thinking, and he wants you to leave it alone. He says that you don't need their help or their consent to do anything."

"I know that," Ari replied determinedly, not taking her eyes off of Chocolate. "But I will make amends for the suffering I have caused." She held out her left hand to Chocolate, palm up. "You have a dagger. Cut my hand."

Without a word, Chocolate drew a knife out from a sheath hidden in her shirt. In one quick movement a red ribbon blossomed on Ari's palm. "What is that going to prove?" she asked dryly as the dagger disappeared into her shirt again.

Ari ignored that. She took Chocolate's wrist in her injured hand, staring straight into the elder Misu sister's surprised eyes. Ari's own eyes turned from warm brown to a vivid shade of blue. 

Tira and Gateau gasped, and they both took a step forward. Marron's upraised arm stopped them before they could try to pull Ari off of Chocolate.

"It's all right," Marron assured them. "She won't harm her."

The look Tira gave him told him plainly that she doubted it, but she remained silent. She turned to look at her sister, hugging herself as if for comfort.

Gateau put one of his large hands on Tira's shoulder, squeezing gently. "I hope you're right," he said quietly, not quite meeting Marron's eyes.

Strange words began to spill from Ari's lips as her blood seeped onto Chocolate's skin, dripping through Ari's fingers. Tira whimpered softly and drew back against Gateau. The big man's other hand settled on her other shoulder as he watched Chocolate and Ari grimly. Even Marron felt a sliver of unease pierce his normally calm exterior at the sight of the goose bumps on Mille's arms. The Haz Knight was watching Ari intently, frowning. It was clear by his expression that he had no more idea of what was going to happen than anyone else did.

Tiny forks of blue lightning crackled around Ari's hand, but Chocolate did not seem to be either bothered or affected by this. She stared in fascination, as if transfixed by the sight, as the blue lightning snaked up Ari's left arm and into her heart. Ari grimaced in pain. Her hand tightened its grip on Chocolate's wrist as the last of the lightning crawled up her arm and vanished.

Then it was over, and Ari sank to her knees, releasing Chocolate's wrist. There was no blood on the redhead's skin, or on Ari's palm. The cut had sealed as if it had never been. Her eyes shifted back to deep brown, and she sighed deeply. She braced her arms in front of her to hold herself up, as if all her energy had drained out with the spell.

"What did you say?" Chocolate asked, looking down at her oddly. "The words … I _felt_ them. I knew them, somehow, but…"

"_Mind to mind, heart to heart, our purpose is the same. By my blood our bargain is sealed. By my soul I will not fail you_," Ari translated, glancing up at her wearily.

"A magical contract," Marron said, his golden eyes gleaming. This was further proof of her sincerity. To think that Ari was capable of a spell that powerful! She was so unassuming and diffident most of the time he had never suspected it.

"A powerful one, Lord Reven says," Mille added. "It binds her unto death."

"Do you believe me now?" Ari asked, her voice husky and low. "That blue lightning will shatter my heart if I betray you."

Chocolate opened her mouth, then abruptly shut it again. She tried again, with similar results. "I - I don't know," she said finally. She couldn't look at Ari. She kept her eyes focused on the stone marker with Carrot's name on it instead, as if it was easier to focus on. "I want Darling back more than anything, but … it seems too good to be true."

The steel in her eyes abruptly melted, and Tira stepped forward to embrace her. Chocolate leaned against her sister, letting the tears flow unheeded down her cheeks.

"He's coming back, sister," Tira whispered, stroking Chocolate's hair. "Carrot's coming back to us."

At those words, Chocolate buried her face in Tira's shoulder and began to sob in earnest. Tira tightened her embrace, murmuring soothingly as she rocked her sister gently.

Marron blinked away the tears forming in his own eyes, turning respectfully from the two sisters to give them a little privacy.

Gateau caught Marron's gaze. "After this, if that little prick ever goes chasing after another girl, he's going to get flattened," the big man said, slamming his fist into his other hand with a sickening smack.

Marron smiled grimly. "Get in line," he replied.

"… and that's basically what happened," Mille was saying, his eyes on Reven's journal. There was a pause in which he read the response. Marron and Gateau exchanged a raised eyebrow and a glance. 

"I wonder if Mille knows how idiotic he looks talking to a book," Gateau mused, and was rewarded by a slight smile from the mage.

"I know it'll be dangerous," Mille said, apparently ignorant of the big man's comment. "That's what I told her, but she won't listen to me." He paused again, nodding to himself. "All right, but I don't think it'll do any good." He looked down at Ari, who was still kneeling in the grass. "Ari, he wants to talk to you." He laid the book down in front of her and stepped back.

Curious about what Reven would say to her, Marron walked up to read over her shoulder.

__

I'm not angry with you, Ari, Reven wrote.

Ari snorted softly, and her shoulders hunched miserably. "No. Just disappointed, right?" 

The bitterness in her tone made Marron wince. She must feel as though she had betrayed her sensei by causing this mess, and was evidently expecting a stern reprimand.

__

No, little one, I'm not disappointed. Never that. You could have just run away and come home. I would never have known anything about this. But you didn't. Actually, I'm quite proud of you.

Ari straightened with a surprised gasp. The tips of her ears were bright red.

__

I'll be waiting for your return. Until then, if you need me, don't hesitate to open my journal. I'll be able to help you a little through it.

"Thank you, Reven-sensei," Ari whispered, bowing her head again. Slowly, she shut the book, letting her hand linger on the cover for a few moments.

Mille Feuille cleared his throat.

Chocolate lifted her head from Tira's shoulder, and both Misu sisters looked at him. Gateau and Marron turned as well. Even Ari raised her eyes from the journal to the Haz Knight standing in front of her.

"We should go down to the Church now," Mille said. "I'm sure everyone is wondering what's keeping us." He bent slightly, offering Ari his hand. She took it with a faint smile and allowed him to pull her to her feet. "By the way," he added, looking a bit perturbed, "Reven wasn't annoyed that I called you Ari, was he?"

Ari's smile was somewhat wider this time. "No. Or at least, he didn't say anything about that to me," she replied.

"Good," Mille said, distinctly relieved.

To be continued…

Author's Notes: Just out of curiosity, how many people are reading this? It would be interesting to get a head count. Oh, well. I like writing from Marron's POV. It wasn't that hard this time. It was just finding the _time_ to write it that proved challenging. My nephew was born, so I was a bit distracted by that for a few days or so (Yay! I'm an auntie! ^_^), and work was hell. It's better now, though.

My thanks go out to these reviewers for the last chapter:

Amanda: Thank you! I was actually not intending to have any pairings whatsoever in this story, much less Marron and Gateau. I'll read stories with that pairing, but I don't like it very much because I don't like Gateau in the anime or the manga. Some fanfiction writers do a very good job of characterizing Gateau in a way that makes him more likeable for me, but as he is in the manga and anime, I detest him. As Marron is my favorite character, I will not pair him with a character that I don't like in anything I write. I leave that for those who could do a much better job than me. My neutrality only goes so far. So, you don't need to worry about that. ^_^ It is part of Gateau's character to hit on Marron, though, which is why you see those hints of shounen-ai. 

BluePard: Thank you! This is the second story that I've ever written with this much angst in it. I'm glad that I'm keeping you entertained. ^_^ I really do think that Onion loves Carrot (however deep down you have to go to find it); they're just way too much alike for him to show it. Carrot looking so much like Marron was an idea sparked by a friend of mine who said something along those lines a long time ago. It just stuck with me, and seemed appropriate for this story. Again, thank you for giving me all this good feedback. I really appreciate it. Oh, and if you happen to have any advice for Carrot's character (I noticed that you did a _really_ awesome job in Alabaster), I would greatly appreciate that too. ^_^

Fala: Thank you! I'm not entirely happy with how I got Tira's character either. She's definitely a hard one for me. Do you have any suggestions for how I might make that chapter stronger? For that matter, do you have any suggestions for Chocolate's character? I may need some help with her. That scene with Marron and Tira was hard to write. I'm glad it turned out so well. ^_^ And I'm getting to the plot. It won't be much longer. ^_^

Dria: Thank you! I'm glad you like it so far. ^_^ I love Marron fics too - can't get enough of them. Hence why I wrote my own. ^_^

Daemonchan: Thank you! It's good to know that there's at least one person out there who likes Ari. I'm glad that you're enjoying this. ^_^ I thought the same thing about Tira taking the responsibility. I think she'd need it after something like this happened to her.

Thanks for reading! Please leave a review! I thrive on feedback!

~ Lady Cianyin ~


	5. Part 5: Chocolate

Disclaimer: The Sorcerer Hunters do not belong to me. Ari, Reven, and this story do. Any OOC-ness on the part of the Sorcerer Hunters is there for a reason: it suits the story. Please be patient with me. ^_^ There are also some mild spoilers for Volume 5 of the SH manga in this chapter. Sorry if this bothers you.

Wrong Turns

Part 5: Chocolate

Chocolate woke before dawn the day after Carrot's funeral. She lay quietly next to her sister, listening to Tira's soft breathing. It was something Chocolate always did when she woke first; the sound of her sister breathing reminded her that she wasn't completely alone. It had comforted her for as long as she could remember.

Turning her head, she looked at the vague form that was Tira. The pink-haired girl slept curled up on her side, half in the fetal position. One of her hands was extended toward Chocolate, brushing the older girl's arm. That was comforting too, having the warmth of her sister's hand on her arm. It felt solid, real.

The first pale rays of the sun began to creep through the window, gently illuminating the room. Yawning, Chocolate turned onto her side, watching Tira slowly grow less shadowy.

Long tendrils of pink hair cascaded over Tira's shoulders, the pillow beneath her head, and even obscured her face. Only the corner of one closed eye and the tip of her nose peeped out from beneath the layer of pink strands. She looked very small and adorable in slumber, and Chocolate smiled fondly.

Suddenly she wondered which one of them Darling would choose when he returned. Both sisters' feelings had been proven time and time again, especially with this last disaster. He'd have to choose one of them eventually - _that_ was inevitable.

No. She had to stop this. She couldn't think about it yet.

Chocolate turned from the contemplation of her sister's sleeping form to the window across the room. The sky was turning from dark blue to a rosy pink. She knew that she should get up. They were leaving soon, to go back to Peach Sorbet's castle. The place everything had begun - or rather, had ended.

Chocolate had not thought about ever seeing that place again. It was hard enough to just think of Darling, so she would not do that yet. It wasn't safe to let her thoughts dwell on it for too long.

If she moved, Tira would wake. Since Tira had been worrying so much about Marron, she hadn't been getting the sleep she needed. The last thing Chocolate wanted was to wake her now, when she'd finally got a full night's sleep.

Chocolate had not noticed much of anything else about how the others were handling her Darling's death, but she had noticed that Tira had not gone to bed until very late at night for two nights after … it happened. The world could fall down around Chocolate, and she would not notice unless Tira (or Darling) was affected by it.

She was doing it again. It was hard for her to think about Tira without Darling somehow popping up in her mind. Strangely, thinking about Darling was not quite as painful now. She supposed that was because Tira had convinced her that Ari would bring him back to them. She didn't even want to consider that she might be close to accepting his death and moving on with her life. Darling had been - no, _was_ one of the most important people in her life, second only to Tira.

Not for the first time, Chocolate wondered if she should feel guilty for feeling that way about her sister and her beloved Darling. Marron, Gateau, and Mille Feuille were good friends; people she could count on to back her up in a fight if she needed it. She would do the same for them, of course; they'd been through so much together. She cared for them too, but it wasn't like she cared about Tira and Darling.

Even though Tira had fallen in love with Darling as well, it hadn't truly surprised her. Nor did it change anything about Chocolate's feelings. Tira had simply looked into Darling the same way Chocolate had, and had seen the exact same thing as her sister: the beauty within Carrot beyond the clumsiness, the goofiness, and the perpetual girl-chasing pervertedness.

However hard it was to see sometimes, Darling really was a beautiful person. He showed it by protecting his brother Marron, both now and back when they were kids. He showed it in his concern for Tira; again, both now and when they were children. He even showed it with his strange relationship with Gateau. They weren't exactly "friends" per se, but they did care about and look after one another during dangerous assignments.

Most of all, he'd shown it when he saved her life for the first time. He'd done so numerous times during their careers as Sorcerer Hunters, but somehow, the first time had made the most impact on her.

Chocolate smiled. She could still remember the nickname he'd given her: _Stubborn Attila!_

Her smile faded. She'd been so young when she first met her Darling, and so deeply hurt by the betrayal of the man she'd called Father, Zaha Torte. All she could think of was revenge for the pain Zaha had caused her, Tira, and all of their brothers and sisters. On top of that, Onion wasn't going to let her go anywhere near Zaha, which only added to her frustration. 

Carrot had been an easy target for her rage, one she'd lashed out at frequently, but he'd still come after her when she tried to run away that night. He'd still reached for her hand as they plummeted from the cliff outside the village. He'd still cared enough to ask her who she wanted to kill so badly and why.

Chocolate bit her lip, fighting back tears. Even when she'd pushed him away, refusing to accept his help, he'd still come after her to save her from the Fire Bear. 

It wasn't fair, she thought as her vision blurred against her will. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. Darling wasn't supposed to leave her like this. They were _supposed_ to be allowing their love to follow its natural course, planning for their future together as husband and wife.

Even if Ari could bring him back, was that future still possible? Would Darling still be Darling, as he'd always been, or would he come back as something different, changed by his experience in the afterlife?

It was too much too soon. A soft, keening sob escaped Chocolate's throat, and she curled in on herself, hoping Tira had not heard her. Her slender frame shook with helpless, nearly silent sobs she could no longer repress.

"Chocolate…" A cool hand touched her shoulder, and she jumped.

"Tira … I didn't mean to wake you." Chocolate hastily wiped at the tears on her cheeks, inwardly cursing herself for her lack of control. _She_ was supposed to be the strong one, damn it! Tira wasn't supposed to have to protect her from anything; it was supposed to be the other way around.

"Sister, it's okay," Tira said softly, sliding her arm around Chocolate. "Just let it out."

Chocolate allowed Tira to embrace her, turning to bury her face in her sister's shoulder. It felt so good to finally let go and cry. She wondered how Tira had known how much she really needed this, how her sister always knew what would make her feel better.

"Thank you," Chocolate whispered after a while.

She felt more than saw Tira smile. "You're welcome."

A knock sounded on the door. "Tira? Chocolate?" came Onion's voice, muffled by the thick wooden planks. Without waiting for an answer, he opened the door and stepped in, holding up a lantern. The Misu sisters blinked in the bright golden light. "Good, you're awake already. I thought you should know that everyone's getting ready to leave soon."

Chocolate smiled faintly. "Thank you, Uncle."

Onion nodded, and the lantern illuminated the hollows under his eyes. He looked as though he hadn't slept at all that night. "Do you … do you really think you can bring my idiot son back to life?" he asked hesitantly.

Tira nodded firmly. "We will bring Carrot back. Ari promised us that she'd help."

Onion frowned uneasily, then shrugged. "Oh, and Chocolate?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for sitting up with me the other night. I appreciate it."

Chocolate smiled weakly, holding back more tears with an effort. "I needed it as much as you did, Uncle."

He nodded again. "Well, I'll let you two get ready." He shut the door gently behind him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They camped that night in a clearing just off the side of the road. Mille made Ari sit down to rest, as she was looking rather pale, and the Haz Knight sat with her, talking softly. As usual, Gateau gathered wood for the fire. Chocolate went with him to get some more once it was started, and Tira helped Marron root through the pack of provisions Onion had given them to prepare supper.

This was a moment that made the ache of Darling's loss all the more poignant to them all. Chocolate could see it in Marron's eyes and Tira's expression as they began to make dinner. She even saw it in Gateau's eyes as they walked through the forest.

Usually, when they made camp, Darling would weasel out of any and all tasks necessary to prepare for the night. He'd disappear, supposedly to go relieve himself, and then Chocolate and Tira would have to go after him to drag him back.

Chocolate allowed herself a faint smile. They'd normally find him propositioning some girl if they camped anywhere near a village, but once they'd found him in an empty clearing, sprawled on his back in the grass.

"What are you doing out here, Darling?" Chocolate had demanded of him, fists on her hips.

Darling had tilted his head back to look at them upside down. "Hi, girls!" he'd said cheerfully. "What brings you out here on this lovely night?"

"Trying to avoid punishment again, Carrot?" Tira had half-growled, pulling the length of her whip taut between her hands.

Darling's grin had faded a little, eyeing Tira's weapon warily, but he returned his attention to the sky. "Nah. Just looking at the stars."

Tira and Chocolate had exchanged a glance and a raised eyebrow. Darling had to be up to something. He always was.

"You girls wanna join me for a bit?" Darling asked after a moment. He folded his arms up behind his head as if unconcerned by the threat that their presence normally was to his well-being.

"What do you think, sister?" Tira asked in a low voice.

"It's a really pretty night," Darling added, grinning up at them again.

Chocolate had shrugged and went to lie down next to him. This was a very romantic setting, after all, so if Darling wanted to lie in the grass with them, who was she to argue? 

After a moment, Tira laid down on his other side, and the three of them gazed at the night sky in silence for a long time.

"Hey, Chocolate, are you okay?" Gateau asked her suddenly.

Chocolate blinked, returning to the present. The big man was standing in front of her, his vivid blue eyes full of concern. "Ah - yes, I think so." Her voice was slightly husky with unshed tears, but other than that she thought she sounded all right.

Gateau frowned at her, opening his mouth as if to say something. Then it seemed he changed his mind, for he closed it again, shaking his head.

They walked back to the camp in a comfortable silence. It let Chocolate gather her thoughts and compose herself again. She was grateful that Gateau had not pushed her for what she'd been thinking of.

Abruptly, Gateau stepped in front of her, effectively ending the moment. His expression was quite serious as he gazed down at her.

"It hit all of us hard," he said solemnly. "Maybe not the same way it hit you, but it was still a major blow. So…" He coughed uneasily. "So if you need anything, just ask one of us."

Chocolate smiled weakly at him. His concern was touching, if not what she needed at the moment. "Thank you, Gateau."

He nodded, and they continued on.

Marron looked up as the entered the circle of firelight, handing them each a bowl of stew. Ari was already asleep under Mille's cloak, with the Haz Knight hovering near her protectively. No one spoke as Chocolate and Gateau took their places around the fire.

"Mille, how do you know Ari?" Marron asked, his golden eyes eerily illuminated by the firelight.

Instantaneously, the Haz Knight had the attention of Chocolate, Tira, and Gateau. For a moment there was no sound but the wind in the trees and the crackling and popping of the fire.

Mille's lower lip twitched, but he didn't smile. "I was wondering when you were going to ask me that," he said heavily. He shifted on the log, glancing over at the huddled form lying under his cloak. Ari still hadn't moved.

"Is this something we shouldn't know?" Tira asked quietly. "Like secret official church business or something?"

"No, Tira, it's not that," Mille replied, sighing. "Not exactly, anyway."

"Then would you just explain it, instead of being so mysterious about the whole thing?" Gateau murmured. 

There was a conspicuously hard edge to his voice that Chocolate had never heard before. She stared at him, but he did not raise his eyes from the flickering flames.

Mille either chose to ignore Gateau's comment or simply didn't notice his tone. He tilted his head back, letting his long purple curls fall back from his face, and gazed up at the stars meditatively for a moment. "It's embarrassing," he said with another sigh, and dropped his amber-eyed gaze back to his audience, letting it rest on each of them in turn.

"We won't laugh," Chocolate spoke up, meeting his gaze steadily.

"I know." Mille made a face. "I just hate admitting what happened. But, since you asked … I was on official church business at the time. I can't tell you what I was doing, where I was, or even why, but I was badly injured by … well, someone who would find my death beneficial, let's say."

"Was it Zaha Torte?" Marron asked, a note of sympathy vibrating underneath his tone.

Mille shook his head. "This was after Zaha's death. You don't know this person."

Gateau finally lifted his gaze from the fire to stare incredulously at the Haz Knight. "Someone strong enough to hurt you, and he's still alive? Since when do you leave enemies like that behind without taking care of them permanently?"

"When Big Mama tells me not to do something, it's generally wiser for me to obey her," Mille replied with a wry smile. "I am an elite Haz Knight; she is not lenient toward our mistakes."

"So she ordered you not to kill him?" Tira asked, her eyes wide with astonishment.

"She was afraid for my safety if I met this person again on his territory. You see, he knew quite a bit more than I did about the location, which is the only reason he was able to defeat me. All I can really say about what happened is that somehow, I fell through a Gate."

Chocolate sucked in a surprised breath. "So that's where you met Ari?"

Mille nodded. "She and her sensei Reven were out walking along the Paths, which is where they found me, unconscious and bleeding to death. They took me to Reven's home, where I woke up a few days later. 

"At first, I didn't know where I was. Ari was sitting beside my bed, reading a book. She explained how they found me, and that they had brought me to this place to be healed. And then … I met Reven."

He paused to take a long drink from his waterskin.

"What is Reven like?" Marron asked eagerly, leaning forward. His golden eyes fairly glowed with his fascination.

Mille set the waterskin down, frowning slightly, as if at a disturbing memory. "Reven is very … different," he said slowly. "Ari told me that he's half-elven and half-human. He's tall, medium build, has shoulder length silver hair, and golden eyes like yours, Marron.

"But what really struck me the first time I ever saw him was how _strong_ his presence is. It's like he could reach up and rearrange the stars with his bare hands if he wanted to. He's much more powerful than anyone I've ever met. He sent cold shivers up and down my spine the first time I saw him." Mille shifted uncomfortably on the log, lowering his eyes as if in shame. "The only person who has ever done that to me was Zaha Torte, on the day he turned against Big Mama."

Chocolate shuddered, hugging herself involuntarily. Anyone who could do that to Mille was definitely not someone to cross. She was suddenly very glad that she had not killed Ari; who knew what sort of terrible revenge her sensei might have taken for it?

"Ari seems quite comfortable with him," Marron said thoughtfully.

Chocolate looked at the mage critically. As usual, his serene exterior revealed nothing to her scrutiny. Then again, she had never really spent much time attempting to decipher Marron's moods and emotions. She had always preferred to spend her free moments more productively, such as thinking of ways to seduce Darling. It seemed easier than trying to do the impossible and predict what was going on in Marron's head - she'd definitely accomplish it first anyway, especially since Darling was her destiny.

Still, she hoped that Marron wasn't going to allow himself to be distracted by developing feelings for Ari. Bringing Darling back was more important than anything else to Chocolate and the other Sorcerer Hunters, and he could not afford to be sidetracked from their purpose.

Mille was nodding again. "He's different when she's around him, almost softer somehow, like he's afraid to show too much of his power to her. I only spent a short time with them, but I noticed that Ari was the only person he allowed to touch him."

"So he loves her?" Tira ventured, unconsciously voicing her elder sister's unspoken thought. 

Chocolate was distinctly relieved that she was not the only one to have come to this conclusion. Perhaps it was even true. With someone like Reven courting Ari first, surely Marron would see how futile it was to try to compete with him.

Mille shrugged. "I'm not certain. Reven is hard to read. Compared to him, Ari is an open book."

"So she loves him?" Gateau asked, one eyebrow raised. He painstakingly avoided looking at Marron, but the faint smile on his lips was entirely smug.

"It's hard to miss the way her eyes sparkle when she sees him, the way she says his name, the way she - "

"We get the point," Gateau interrupted, but his tone was light and he was still grinning smugly.

"You sound almost bitter, Mille," Chocolate commented, and then wished that she could take the words back as soon as she said them. The look the Haz Knight gave her when he turned to her was so tired, so drained, it nearly broke her heart.

"If I am, it's because Reven doesn't seem to realize what sort of affect he has on her," Mille murmured, stretching his arms over his head. "I will forever be indebted to her for her kindness, but she is just like a sister to me. I only want her to be happy."

An easy silence settled over the group as each of them digested the tale Mille Feuille had told them.

Chocolate drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She hunched over slightly, resting her chin on one arm, and stared at the flames with a frown of concentration on her lips.

"Mille, if you don't mind my asking, why is it that you hate sprites?" Tira asked timidly. Her diffident voice interrupted Chocolate's thoughts before she could really start brooding.

Mille snorted and tugged sharply on a lock of his long, curly purple hair. "One of them cut off my hair," he said flatly.

Four pairs of widened eyes gazed at him incredulously for a long moment.

"Well, do you have any idea how long it took me to grow it out to this length?" he demanded irately. "Years, _that's_ how long! And it only took him two minutes to ruin it while I was asleep!"

"A-all of it?" Tira asked.

"All of it," Mille replied miserably. "It was _horrible!_"

"But - "

"If Ari hadn't fixed it for me, I don't know what I would have done," he sighed dramatically, fondly pulling the same lock of hair again.

"Oh."

To be continued …

Author's Notes: I am truly sorry that this chapter took me so long. I have no excuse other than extreme writer's block and a **very** unwanted houseguest. I am still **very** angry at my roommate for this.

Hey, I just noticed that I'm on three people's favorite authors list! Yay! Whoever you guys are, THANK YOU! That made my day. ^_^

Anyway, this chapter has not been beta-read, so if you notice any errors or you have any suggestions, I would be extremely happy to hear about them. Chocolate is a hard character for me to get down, and the manga came in quite handy for getting rid of my writer's block, as well as Takatome Ichido's reviews. ^_^

For those of you who reviewed last time:

Amanda: Thank you! I'm glad you don't mind being mentioned. ^_^ And yes, Gateau is at least twice as annoying in the manga.

Fala: Thank you! The journal thing was a part of the dream I had that inspired this story. As for Gateau, if I bastardized his character, it would take away from the strength of this story. I hate reading serious fics where you can definitely tell who the author's least favorite character is. It drives me insane, even if I'm not fond of that character either. I hope this story lives up to your expectations. Very little would flatter me more than that. ^_^

BluePard: Thank you! The best way for me to start the last chapter was to repeat some of the stuff in the previous chapter. I also needed a transition before I got to Chocolate's part in the series, and Marron's POV seemed to be the best fit. Any suggestions for improvement are welcome. I hope I answered your questions about Mille and Ari with this chapter. ^_^

Tegasus: Thank you! More is on the way. ^_^

danni: Thank you! I hope I answered your question. Ari has definite ideas about whom she belongs to, and Marron is not that person.

QG: Thank you! You're forgiven. ^_^ Glad you like where this is going so far. You'll just have to wait and see what happens. Hopefully I'll be able to update sooner next time.

Takatome Ichido: Thank you thank you thank you! I don't think my writer's block would have ended without your last review! I am very pleased that you like it so far, and I hope you continue to like it. ^_^

Until next time. ^_^

~ Lady Cianyin ~


	6. Part 6: Mille Feuille 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the Sorcerer Hunters. Ari, Reven, Peach Sorbet, and this story, however are mine. Some of the Sorcerer Hunters might possibly be OOC because it suited the story. Any comments/questions/suggestions for improvement are quite welcome. ^_^

There are some mild spoilers for the SH manga volume 10, but it's nothing earth shattering. ^_^

Wrong Turns

Part 6: Mille Feuille (1)

Ari and the Sorcerer Hunters reached the remains of Peach Sorbet's castle at midmorning the next day. The blackened stones were still smoldering a little, and thin dark gray wisps of smoke rose from several places.

"Hey, look, everyone," Chocolate said excitedly, pointing. "Only the castle burned down. Everything else is untouched."

Chocolate was right. The grass around the wreckage was a bright, vibrant green. Sakura trees were in full bloom in the gardens, where roses still blossomed on thorny green vines along the white marble paths. High, meticulously squared hedges blocked the view of the rest of the gardens, but since they were still alive and healthy, the rest had to still be alive to.

The Haz Knight stared around the grounds, taking everything in. "How very odd," he said, frowning.

"Do you think there was some sort of protection spell on the grounds?" Marron inquired as they walked up the pristine white marble path.

"I don't think Peach Sorbet was any good at protection spells," Mille replied. "She might have had someone else do it, but she wasn't exactly very popular in the sorcerer circles."

"Didn't she kill Blackberry Jam's eldest son?" Gateau asked.

Mille smiled thinly. "Yes. That was the reason that we were sent here in the first place."

"Do you think it's a sign?" Tira asked wistfully. She clasped her hands together in front of her chest, gazing at the gardens with her heart in her eyes.

"What do you mean, Tira?" Chocolate replied.

"Do you think that since the gardens weren't burned when the castle was, that we'll really be getting Carrot back?" She blushed, realizing that the others were looking at her. "I-I'm sorry. It was stupid."

"No it wasn't, Tira," Mille said cheerfully, surreptitiously fingering a gold bracelet on his slender wrist. "I agree: it is a good sign."

Chocolate grinned. "Of course, Tira. We'll get him back. Just you wait."

Gateau snorted. "Yeah, the little pervert will be back in no time at all, and just as annoying as he was when he left us."

"Gateau," Marron chided. "You miss him too, you know."

"Yes, but he's still a pervert, and he's still annoying. Nothing will ever change that."

A long-suffering sigh from the black haired mage was his only reply. Mille noted it with approval, hiding his smile. Marron was obviously recovering from his devastating grief if he reacted so mildly to the big man's teasing. It had been a very good idea to allow them to go on this quest to save Carrot, and Mille was glad that Big Mama had approved of it.

"Well," the Haz Knight said gravely, looking at Ari, "you'd know better than any of us where the Gate is."

Ari nodded tiredly. Mille watched her reach into her pocket and pull out a small, green crystal ball. He recognized it as the crystal that Reven normally carried when he walked the Silver Paths. Ari cupped it gently in her hands and it began to glow softly, illuminating the dark shadows beneath her eyes, the weariness in her expression.

"Let's go," Ari said softly, her gaze intent on the crystal. She began to walk toward the fallen castle unhesitatingly.

"She looks exhausted," Tira said quietly to Mille as the others followed her. "Is she all right?"

The Haz Knight shrugged, but he was also worried. "She told me that she's fine. Whether or not it's true … I can't say."

The younger Misu frowned. Mille knew exactly what she was thinking: Ari had better be able to keep her promise. If she didn't, Tira would personally punish her for lying to them all, consequences or no consequences. Mille just hoped that he'd be able to intervene if the pink-haired girl tried anything. He didn't want either of the girls to get hurt. Nor did he want to face Lord Reven if something _did_ happen to Ari.

Ari carried the crystal toward a large, gaping hole in the rubble, and stopped. A long dark tunnel stretched deep into the pile of rock and metal shapes twisted beyond recognition. It seemed like it led far beneath the castle, into the center of the world where unimaginable things lay in wait in the quiet stillness of the dark earth.

Not a pleasant thought. Mille pushed it away, chiding himself as a silly fool. He was a grown man, and a powerful Haz Knight. Maybe he wasn't all that comfortable with going into an extremely unstable tunnel in a pile of debris where a castle used to be, but he didn't need to broadcast that to the others. Besides, Marron was there, and his spells could keep it from collapsing on their heads. He hoped, anyway.

"Please tell me that we don't have to go in there," Gateau said, eyeing the tunnel warily.

Ari's lips curved in a rueful smile. It didn't touch her eyes. "I wish I could," she replied, "but the Gate is down there, and I doubt you will let me go alone."

"Absolutely not," Mille snapped. Why did the silly girl think that he would allow her to do something like that? She knew how great Mille's debt to her was. His butchered hair would have taken years to grow back to its former length if she hadn't done whatever it was she'd done to make it grow back so fast. 

Oh, and she'd saved his life, too.

"I agree," Marron said quietly, frowning at Ari as he folded his arms across his chest. "You may need us to help you reach the gate. I can form a barrier to protect us if the tunnel collapses while we're in it."

Gateau shuddered. "Marron, that is _not_ a good image."

"Sorry."

"We're getting Darling back," Chocolate murmured, catching Ari's gaze. "We already told you that we're all going, no matter what the cost."

"That is the point of this, I suppose," Gateau added, still eyeing the tunnel warily.

Tira shrugged. "It's not much different from any of the other times we've gone after Carrot."

Ari sighed. "I am not trying to persuade you to not follow me."

"Then what -" Chocolate started.

"Come on, we're wasting time," Marron interrupted impatiently. "We trust you, Ari. Lead us."

Ari lowered her eyes and nodded. She turned, looking down into the tunnel. After a moment, she took a step forward. The green crystal in her hand brightened, casting emerald light into the darkness. She held it up so that more of the path before her was revealed, much to Mille's discomfort.

The tunnel narrowed considerably a few paces down. The heaps of crumbled stone had settled into haphazard, jagged piles. It still appeared to be passable, but looks could be deceiving. Add the dust clouds wafting out of the hole and the ominous, intermittent creakings as the rubble shifted, and the place resembled something from Mille's worst nightmares.

Ari didn't seem to be bothered by it. She calmly walked inside, letting the wreckage swallow her up. Mille did not quite have her confidence, however, but in order to set a good example for the Hunters, he strode after her as if it didn't really bother him.

"This place gives me the creeps," Gateau said loudly. His voice echoed eerily, and there was a distant rumble of falling rock.

Everyone froze, staring up at the ceiling apprehensively.

Marron pulled an ofuda out of his sleeve as the tremors came nearer and nearer. "Stay close to me, everyone," he said unnecessarily, for the others had already gathered around the young mage. The ofuda glowed blue, and a nearly transparent but unbreakable shield sprang up around them.

Dust sifted through the cracks overhead, running down the sides of the shield. Gateau pulled both Misu sisters in front of him and hunched over them protectively. Mille stood over Ari, grasping her shoulders. The green light from the crystal flickered and almost went out, and Ari gasped.

"What is it?" Mille asked sharply.

"You're hurting me. Let go."

"Oh, sorry!" The Haz Knight hastily released her.

Ari winced and pressed her hand to her heart. "That's okay. Just please don't do it again."

Mille stared at her suspiciously for a moment. She looked back at him calmly, still rubbing her chest over her heart. From her expression, he didn't think he'd be getting any answers from her about it just yet, so he let the matter drop. For now, anyway.

The quakes subsided slowly a few minutes later. Marron breathed a sigh of relief and dropped the shield. The ofuda slowly disintegrated in his hand, falling in small pieces of blue light to the ground. 

Only then did Mille let himself relax. If Marron had let the barrier drop, then the danger was averted.

"I think we should all keep our voices down," Marron said then. He didn't quite look at Gateau, but everyone knew that it was directed at the big man.

Gateau flinched. "Sorry," he said sheepishly as he stepped away from Tira and Chocolate.

"Hey, do you guys hear that?" Ari asked suddenly. She had walked a few paces away from the rest of them, and her head was tilted to one side.

Mille exchanged a glance with Marron. The mage shrugged as if to say, "I don't hear anything." 

"Hear what?" Mille asked warily.

"It's … singing." Ari took another step forward, as if entranced by the music only she could hear. Her hand lifted again, rubbing absently at her chest. Mille frowned at her, but she ignored him.

Tira raised an eyebrow. "I don't hear anything."

"_What_ is singing?" Chocolate asked, frowning.

"The Gate. I think it's getting close."

"It should be, if you can hear it already," Mille murmured, intensely relieved. Maybe they wouldn't have to be stuck in this underground hellhole for much longer. "Good. This won't take too long. Hey, Ari, wait for us!"

The girl stopped walking, glancing back at them. She glanced at Mille and dropped her hand back to her side. "Oh, it's still a good distance away," she replied, "but I can hear it now."

"Is it a good thing if the Gate is singing?" Tira asked uncertainly.

Ari nodded, pausing again to wait for the others to catch up to her. "That means it's already open, for whatever reason, and healthy."

"Are Gates alive, then?" Marron asked, astonished. "How can that be? I thought they were just doorways."

"Well, they are and they aren't. Yikes!" Ari's boot crunched on a loose stone and started to slide out from beneath her. 

Mille took her elbow to steady her. "Are you all right, Ari?"

"Yes. Thanks." Her face was an odd shade of pale green, but that could be attributed to the light from the green crystal. "Anyway, the Gates are alive, but not in the sense that you and I are alive. Maybe it's better to say that they have some awareness of what they are and the things and people that pass through them. It's kind of hard to explain. Reven-sensei would do a better job than I can."

Mille watched Ari's face when she said her sensei's name. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and a swift, pained expression passed through her eyes so quickly that the Haz Knight nearly missed it. From the looks of it, Reven still either didn't know or didn't return her feelings.

Not for the first time, Mille wondered what was wrong with Reven. How could he not see how the poor girl pined over him? Even Carrot wasn't _that_ clueless with Tira and Chocolate, however he might act around them.

Tira must have noticed it too, for she drew Mille aside as they continued on down the path.

"Mille…" She wasn't quite able to meet his gaze.

"Yes, Tira?" He smiled at her encouragingly.

"I wanted to ask you…" She bit her lip, but continued. "Ari's a lot like me, isn't she?"

"In what sense?" Mille asked, keeping his voice neutral. It was a good thing that Tira had found something in common with Ari. It made her more human, and less an obstacle to the pink haired girl's love life.

Tira flushed. "She loves Reven the way I … the way I love Carrot." She swallowed nervously, staring at her feet. "In silence, I mean. She … she hasn't told him."

Mille didn't show it, but he was relieved. "You're right," he told her quietly, glad that Tira understood. "In some ways, she's much more shy than you are. Especially with Reven."

"Why hasn't she told him how she feels?" Tira asked curiously.

Mille shrugged. "Why haven't you told Carrot how _you_ feel?"

"What?!" Tira sputtered indignantly. "That's…that's different!"

"Because it's you?" Mille asked with a smile.

"Can't you be serious for once?" she demanded irately, almost but not quite stomping her foot. 

Gateau glanced back at them briefly at Tira's outburst, but said nothing.

"I'm always serious, Tira," Mille replied solemnly.

The pink-haired girl stared at his perfectly straight face for a long moment, opening and then closing her mouth. She turned bright red, muttering something under her breath. Abruptly, she pivoted on one foot and marched off, still muttering.

Mille grinned at Tira's back. It was so much fun teasing her. He couldn't wait until Carrot was back so that he could hit on her and Chocolate again. And of course, Carrot would get his fair share, too.

The Haz Knight's grin faded into a slight smile. He glanced down at his wrist again, fingering the bracelet again. On the surface, it was a simple gold bangle, just like the one he'd always worn on that wrist. That bracelet had broken underneath his armor a year ago, when he'd deflected a blow aimed at his head.

Carrot had bought him the new bangle for his next birthday. Oh, Mille was under no delusions that Carrot had had the idea occur to him naturally. It had been obvious when he'd opened the small, pretty box that Tira and/or Chocolate had had a hand in choosing this gift.

Still, Carrot had been the one to place the box in Mille's hands. That was what counted. That, and the simple elegance of the gold bangle. A delicate vine was etched in the gold, tiny leaves in exquisite detail, curving around the entire bracelet.

Carrot could really be sweet when he wanted to be. It was too bad that he was so uncompromisingly straight, or Mille would have _really_ fallen for him. There were some days that the Haz Knight regretted telling Carrot that he was really a guy, but he supposed it was better this way. The young Sorcerer Hunter would have found _that_ out quickly enough on his own. And it provided hours of entertainment - for Mille, at any rate - with things as they were.

One of Mille's favorite pastimes had always been teasing the poor boy until Tira and Chocolate were so riled up they were incoherent. He really couldn't help himself anymore; what had started out as an innocent game to see what would happen had turned into a near-obsession with seeing how far he could push the Misu sisters.

In addition to his own personal enjoyment, he also had a practical reason behind his crusade to get Carrot bashed over the head by a jealous Misu. He'd done the exact same thing to Onion Glace and Apricot Anzu, Carrot's and Marron's parents. 

Apricot had never reacted as violently as Tira and Chocolate did regularly. She'd tried to play it cool, like Onion meant little to her beyond her obligations as his partner. Only when he confronted her directly could he get a rise out of her.

Mille found it hilarious that both Onion and Carrot had reacted almost in the same way to his advances. Like father, like son, he supposed. Carrot had even inherited his father's well-hidden ability to be thoughtful, in his own way.

Mille gave the bangle one last, fond tug, and returned his thoughts to the present, wincing as he reemerged in the odd green light of the gods-forsaken tunnel. He wished they'd find the Gate soon. He was more than ready to bid this nerve-wracking pit goodbye, thank you very much.

The Haz Knight's eyes flicked to Ari as she rounded a corner - and unexpectedly stopped, as she had come to a solid wall of rock.

The others stopped behind her, all staring at the wall.

To be continued…

Author's Notes: Because it took me so freaking long to finish this, I am posting this chapter and the next one today. The last chapter will be up in two weeks or less, since it's half-finished now. I'm sorry about that. Real life conspired to take me away from my computer for a while. ^_^ Thank you to those of you who stuck with me for so long.

My thanks go out to these wonderful people for their reviews (I'd write longer responses, but I'm really tired right now):

Amanda: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. ^_^

Takatome Ichido: Thank you! Reven has nothing to do with Grand Pa. He is my own original character from an original story that I wrote a long time ago, and I'm kinda still writing now. Thank you for all the helpful advice; I'll definitely consider it. ^_^

BluePard: Thank you! ^_^ Do you know how annoying it was to type "Darling" so many times? Maybe I shouldn't have, but I figured that it would be a good way to keep her in character. I might go back and change it later, but not now (too lazy). And I wasn't intending on that being a shoujo-ai reference. Then again, in anime, you can argue any theory you want.


	7. Part 7: Mille Feuille 2

Disclaimer: Sorcerer Hunters is not mine; Ari, Reven, and any other original characters are. The Sorcerer Hunters might be OOC; bear with me.

Wrong Turns

Part 7: Mille Feuille (2)

"Um…is the Gate supposed to be here?" Gateau asked.

Ari stepped forward, reaching out to touch the rock. "It _is_ here," she replied, frustration evident in her tone. "It's _in_ the rock."

"How are we supposed to get to it, then?" Chocolate asked, a faint note of barely suppressed hysteria in her voice. Tira touched her arm comfortingly, but the elder Misu did not seem to notice.

"I-I don't know." Ari sounded close to tears. Her hand came up to rub at her chest as if it pained her, and Mille thought he heard her gasp.

"Do you have to call it out?" Marron asked.

"The Gate opens directly onto the Paths. I'd have to call the Paths themselves, and they won't move for me," Ari replied softly, almost distractedly. "Reven-sensei or Talikhan could do it, but not me."

"A minor setback," Gateau said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "What we need here is a little brute strength. Marron can keep the ceiling from falling down on our heads while I smash this boulder." He shrugged, inspecting the fingernails of one of his hands smugly. "Piece of cake."

"I can't believe I didn't think of that," Tira said, abashed.

The big man just grinned. "It's not often that I get to show off my rock-breaking abilities," he said arrogantly, cracking his knuckles.

"Sounds good to me," Mille said cheerfully. "Smash away, Gateau!"

"What are you waiting for?" Chocolate demanded. "Let's go get Darling!"

Marron smiled and pulled out an ofuda. "Ready," he said as it began to glow. 

Once again, a shield formed around the group, and Mille breathed just a little bit easier. It was too bad that Marron couldn't hold a shield over them while they were walking. That would have been one less worry.

"There's just...one little problem," Ari gasped, sinking to her knees.

"What's that?" Mille asked warily. He pushed his way through the group and knelt at her side, cupping her chin in one slim hand, forcing her to look at him. Her eyes held a disturbing mixture of pain and guilt. "And am I going to like hearing it?"

"The binding oath…has a time limit."

"What did you say?" Marron asked dangerously, his golden eyes flashing. "Isn't the blue lightning going to kill you if you don't keep the oath?"

Ari had the grace to flinch. "Well, yes."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Tira inquired in exasperation.

"I didn't think it mattered."

"That's stupid," Chocolate said flatly. "Of course it matters. I would never have let you do that if I'd known."

"You should have said something," Marron added sternly. "We could have helped you."

"You remind me of my sensei when you talk like that," Ari muttered, frowning up at the mage.

"Ari, you idiot," Mille said in disgust. "You need a keeper, child." 

Now if only Reven would step forward and take that role, Ari would be in good hands. Mille privately thought that it was a pity that his matchmaking techniques wouldn't really work in her situation. He didn't want to risk life and limb by hitting on the silver-haired mage, however pretty he was. That could get dangerous. Not to mention, _messy_.

Ari winced and doubled over. The glow of crackling lightning seeped out from between her fingers. Mille reached out and touched her shoulders, but she jerked away from him.

"Funny," she wheezed. "Solano said the same thing."

"That's probably why he adopted you," Mille retorted. "How much time do you have?"

"A few minutes, maybe," was the breathy answer.

"Oh, great," Chocolate muttered.

"Gateau, hurry," Mille said, hauling Ari sharply to her feet and out of the big man's way.

"Right," Gateau said, eyeing the large stone. "I'll do it in one punch." He drew his big fist back, and quicker than thought slammed it into the rock. It shattered, and the pieces tumbled to the ground, revealing a deep blue, pulsating oval-shaped wound.

The only good thing about the rocks bouncing off the shield was that it overpowered the annoying and normally quite loud hum of the Gate. Now that it was released from its imprisonment in the rock, it was probably much happier, and thus several times louder than the Haz Knight had ever heard a Gate-song get. Mille was quite happy that he couldn't hear it.

He stared at the Gate, trying to ignore the horrible earthquake bringing literally tons of rubble down around their ears, so to speak. Marron's shield held strong, protecting them from being crushed like ants.

The Gate looked like someone had thrown a bucket of liquid sapphire light onto the rocks. Ripples like those in a pond disturbed by a pebble slowly shifted through the azure depths. It was quite peaceful, or would have been if not for the rapidly diminishing tunnel on the other side of Marron's shield.

"It's open!" Gateau shouted over the din. "Now what?"

"Now we go through it before Ari dies, or I lose control over the shield," Marron replied somewhat dryly. As if to punctuate his statement, the translucent sphere around them sputtered a little, and the mage gasped, his brow furrowing in concentration. "Neither of us has much time, I think."

That was more than enough to spur Mille into action. The mere thought of the shield flickering into nonexistence and several tons of rock crushing them all into a bloody pulp…well, let's just say that it wasn't pretty, and Mille preferred not to think about it.

"Tira, Chocolate, you first," the Haz Knight yelled, gesturing to the Gate. "Quickly!" he barked when they hesitated.

The Misu sisters exchanged a glance, and moved as one toward the Gate, but they paused again in front of it.

"It won't hurt you," Ari said, glancing back at Marron pointedly.

Tira took a depth breath, grabbed Chocolate's hand, and the two sisters vanished into the Gate. Gateau swore under his breath, his eyes very wide.

"Gateau, you next," Mille said.

The big man looked like he really wanted to argue, but he gritted his teeth and stepped up to the Gate. "The things I do for love," he muttered, and was gone.

"Mille, take Ari. I will follow," Marron said, slowly moving toward them so he wouldn't disrupt his concentration on holding the shield.

"You'd better," Mille retorted. "I don't want to have to come back here to save your butt too!"

Marron smiled but did not answer.

Mille pushed Ari into the Gate, ducking in after her. He didn't really need to duck, as the opening was more than high enough to accommodate his height, but he'd always hated the sensation of…_probing_ that he felt when he walked through these things.

It was almost like water sliding over his skin, not unpleasant, but weird. Except that the sensation didn't just stay on his skin. It went deeper, into his mind, as if something was rummaging through everything, absorbing everything about him in an instant. Even the really, _really_ private stuff.

"Is everyone okay?" Mille asked once they were on the other side. Then he blinked.

Tira, Chocolate, and Gateau were standing in a small huddle on the Silver Path. All of them were shivering uncontrollably, their eyes shut tight.

Oh, yeah. Mille had forgotten that it took quite a bit of time to get used to seeing this end of the universe. He still got the chills, looking at it.

The Gate was a blazing scarlet from this side, a blotch of color on an immense black background of nothingness. The Path beneath them was a span of metallic silver, gleaming in the darkness around it, seemingly supported by absolutely nothing. Mille could see other Paths above, below, and to the sides of the one they stood on, but they were distressingly far away. 

Ari's description of a cobweb only applied in the maps they made of the Paths. The real Paths were infinitely huge; they were so enormous that in some places you could only see the one you were on.

Morbid curiosity made Mille lean over the side of the Path to look at the one beneath it. He guessed that it was at least several miles down through the blackness. At the very least, it was a very long way to fall…

"Mille, don't do that!" Gateau hissed. "It makes me nervous."

"Sorry." Mille backed away from the edge, looking at Ari.

The girl was kneeling, her left arm straight, and her hand resting palm down on the Path. The deadly blue lightning from her spell-oath arced down her arm, and was harmlessly absorbed into the Path. She sighed deeply, and stood just as Marron threw himself out of the Gate.

Ari yelped, and jumped out of Gateau's way as he leapt to catch the mage in deceptively gentle hands.

"You all right?" the big man asked softly, supporting the slender mage with ease.

Marron slowly pushed himself upright, gasping. "I think so." He swayed a bit, and Gateau steadied him. "Well, maybe not."

"N-now what?" Chocolate stammered, still clinging to Tira even though the pink-haired girl was just as terrified as she was.

"Now I need a volunteer," Ari said.

"To do what?" Gateau asked warily.

"To check to see if I have the timing right when I reset the Gate," Ari replied. "All you'd have to do is stick your head through and look around. When I get to the right time, you'll know."

Mille shuddered. There was no way that he was going to volunteer to do something like that. But if no one else did…

"Why can't you do it?" Tira asked shakily.

"Because I wasn't there. I don't know what to look for."

"I'll do it," Marron said, stepping away from Gateau. His face was ashen in the glow of the Silver Path, but his voice sounded steady enough.

Gateau frowned, but one glare from Marron cut him off. "Never mind," he said hastily. The big man raised his hands in surrender, backing up a few paces.

Ari nodded, and stepped over to the angrily blazing Gate. As soon as her hand touched it, it glowed green, subsiding into the calm ripple pattern from the other side. She smiled and closed her eyes.

The Gate froze in place for a moment, then flashed purple, orange, and gray in three rapid bursts. The ripple pattern continued as if the color did not matter to the Gate. Ari took her hand away and looked at Marron.

The mage stuck his head in the gray, rippling blob. It seemed like an eternity before he came back out, and his face was slightly green.

"What was it?" Gateau asked worriedly.

Marron swallowed. "A plaque commemorating our deaths," he said faintly. "A very old, weathered plaque."

Ari grimaced. "I'm sorry. I guess I went forward instead of back. Let me try again."

"Just hurry!" Chocolate whimpered. "I really hate this place…"

The Gate flashed red, yellow, white, and then pale blue before it stilled again.

Marron looked. He shook his head. "I saw the foundations of the castle. I think it was just being built."

"Okay, a bit too far back. How old is the castle?"

"Two, three hundred years?" Mille guessed.

"That's not very precise," Ari complained. The Gate flashed pink, black, and brown. "Try now."

Marron's entire lower body tensed just before he reemerged this time. "This is it," he announced. "We don't have much time. Carrot just turned into a snake."

Ari touched the Gate again. "I can pause it for you." It froze in place, half-extended ripples and all. "Before you go, there is something important that I need to tell you."

"Which is?" Chocolate said impatiently.

"When you go through the Gate, you will see yourselves fighting Peach Sorbet and her demons. It is important that you not allow yourselves to be distracted by this."

"I thought you said that it's impossible to be in two places at once," Marron argued.

"Not when you're dealing with time," Ari replied. "You will see your past selves, but you must not let them see you."

"Why?" Tira asked.

"How would you react if you felt a tap on your shoulder and came face to face with your double from the future?" Ari countered.

"Good point," Chocolate conceded, looking slightly ill.

"Okay, then what?" Gateau asked.

Ari turned to him. "You will go up behind them and take their places by stepping through them. They will be absorbed into you, and you will effectively be drawn back to that moment in time."

"Uh…won't that hurt?"

"It'll feel weird, but you won't remember it in a minute or two. Don't worry about it."

"Where will you be?" Mille asked.

"I will stand in front of the Gate until the point where my past self falls through it," Ari answered. "That will eliminate my interference, and Marron can save Carrot."

"How much will we remember?" Marron asked.

"Very little. But you will have a stronger sense of urgency to save Carrot."

Marron blanched. "Then we won't remember you?"

"No," Ari replied calmly. "Believe me, it's better this way." She pointed up toward another Path far, far above them. "That was where I fell from. That is where I must go to retrace my steps and find my home."

"It must be very far away," Chocolate said softly, almost sympathetically.

"Further than you could ever imagine," Ari murmured longingly, her eyes still on the Path above them.

"You can get there, right?" Mille frowned at her in concern.

Ari nodded. "I studied the map. I know the way now."

Tira was looking at her oddly. "Have you always been wearing that?"

"Wearing what?" Ari, puzzled, glanced down at her clothes. Her long white robes were immaculate, and belted at the waist with a golden chain. "Is there something wrong with my clothes?"

"No, no, it's just that you look like a priestess." Tira flushed, embarrassed. "And the tunnel was so dusty, but you aren't dirty at all like the rest of us."

"Minor spell," Ari replied delicately. "And I was a priestess, once. A very long time ago. Besides, if I wear these when I walk the Paths, fewer things will bother me since I sort of look like a Guardian."

"Things?" Gateau repeated uneasily.

A long, rumbling howl echoed down the silent Path. It made the hairs on Mille's neck stand up in alarm. The Sorcerer Hunters paused, glancing around nervously. 

Ari turned to look in the direction it came from. "That was probably a skoltan," she said, something akin to panic in her tone when the eerie cry rang out again. "I think we should get going before it gets here."

"What's a skoltan?" Chocolate asked as the Hunters converged on the Gate.

"You don't want to know," Ari replied, gesturing to the Gate. She touched it, and it started moving again. "Okay, it's ready."

One by one, everyone walked through it. Mille was the last person to leave.

After the silence of the Path, the chaos the Haz Knight stepped into was overwhelming. There were demons everywhere, horrible black shadowy things, misty gray wraiths, and all too solid misshapen lumps of melted black wax. It seemed like each and every one of them was screaming and clawing at something, whether Sorcerer Hunter or one of their own, tearing and rending flesh indiscriminately.

The metallic tang of blood filled Mille's nostrils; an all too familiar stench. He could hear Tira's whip and Chocolate's wire garrote whizzing through the air, and the sickening impacts they made on demon hides. He could hear Gateau shouting something, and he caught a glimpse of Marron jumping into _himself_, followed by a flash of white light. 

A horribly mangled demon that smelled of something rotting chose that moment to jump at the Haz Knight. Mille yelped in surprise, dodging its clumsy efforts with agility. It shrieked at him in rage, clawing at him again so that he nearly fell into Ari, who was unlucky enough to be standing behind him, protecting the open Gate. 

"Sorry, Ari - catch you later!" he managed to yell as he readied one of his feathers to fight the hideous thing with. He never heard her response, if she even made one.

Mille fought the urge to laugh hysterically when he stepped up behind his past self. He wasn't sure if he could stop if he started, and he was certain that he would call unnecessary attention to himself if he did. Taking a deep breath, he waited until the other him was occupied with staring at the newly transformed Carrot-serpent, and jumped into his past self.

It was definitely a very odd sensation. How could one describe it, he wondered dazedly amidst the rushing sound in his ears. It was utterly unlike anything he'd ever felt.

The universe split apart, diverged from the course set in motion by previous events and unknown deities, and then came back together in a sharp _smack_. Just as quickly as it had begun, it was over.

Mille landed on his feet. "What the - yikes!" He leaped out of the way of something with more arms than it probably should have been allowed, aiming a feather at what he thought was its head with reflexive ease. "Where did all these things come from?!"

He stared around for a moment, confused.

Suddenly, Tira screamed, "Carrot!" The demon coiled in her whip shook itself free and reached for her with foul, clawed hands. Mille quickly threw one of his feathers into the thing's forehead, and it fell back with an unearthly cry of agony.

"Darling!" came Chocolate's horrified echo a moment later.

"This is absolutely fascinating," Peach was saying as she pointed an odd-looking crystal at the Carrot-serpent. "Now, what would this do?"

Peach Sorbet, he thought abstractedly, smacking down another demon without really noticing it. Wasn't she dead?

Mille sucked in a surprised breath. Carrot, he remembered. Peach had turned him into a serpent with that crystal, and now she was feeding his Aranju more magic to make him change more until his body gave out. He had to stop her somehow, but the only thing that could destroy that crystal and save Carrot was Marron's fire magic. He had to find Marron.

Blast it, where was the bloody mage when you needed him? Mille turned around in frustration, and nearly leaped on the younger Glace brother when he finally found him.

Marron, evidently frozen with shock, was gaping at Carrot's serpentine body. He did not see the demon bearing down on him with some sort of heavy club.

"Marron!" Mille screamed, dispatching the demon with ease. "Marron, you have to stop her!" He grabbed the mage's arm, shaking him until those bewildered golden eyes fixed on him. "Carrot's body can't take much more of this. She's trying to burn him out by making him absorb way more magic than he can handle."

Carrot screamed again with his next shift. Mille saw cloven hooves and a spiral horn emerge from a white horse's forehead before turned his head away from the terrible image, unable to look. His hand crept to the reassuring weight of the gold bracelet on his wrist.

Carrot will be okay, he repeated to himself like a mantra. She promised that he would be okay…

Wait…who had promised? What was he even thinking?

"Hmm," Peach murmured, interrupting Mille's thoughts. "As interesting as it would be to see what you turn into next, I think I must cut our little experiment short. So let's see how you handle this." And she threw the crystal at the Carrot-unicorn's head.

Tira and Chocolate both screamed something incoherent, forgetting that there were still a few demons waiting for the perfect time to attack them. They suddenly found themselves distracted by several black, squirming bodies with sharp teeth and claws even as they both reached for Carrot.

"Kuso!" Gateau hissed and leaped to help them. 

Mille Feuille was right behind him, leaving Marron to save his brother.

__

He'll do it this time…

Now where had that thought come from? What other time was there?

"Phoenix Inferno!" Marron cried, and Mille couldn't help turning around to look as the fire spell raced the crystal as it inexorably arced toward the charging Carrot-unicorn.

"Come on," Mille muttered. "Please make it…"

To be continued…

So, do you suppose it worked? ^_^

By the way, if you notice any errors, whether grammar, plot, spelling, contradictions, or whatever, let me know, please!

And please leave a review. I thrive on your feedback!

~ Lady Cianyin ~


	8. Part 8: Carrot

Disclaimer (yet again): The Sorcerer Hunters are not mine. The only things I can claim are Ari, Reven, and this story, which was written for entertainment purposes only, in humble homage of the talent of the great storytellers that Akahori and Omishi are. (I'll stop sucking up now.) OOC-ness should be expected, as it suits the story, and you are seeing the Sorcerer Hunters through my lens.

Wrong Turns

Chapter 8: Carrot

Something dark and insubstantial as mist slithered past the bull-horned beast's ankles. Roaring, the beast reached for it with its claws, rending and tearing at it. The misty wraith, or whatever it was, slipped through the massive, sharp talons, leaving a strangely sticky residue behind.

Then the beast caught sight of a much stronger enemy than the dark mist had been, and stepped toward it, screaming a challenge. This enemy would be easy to crush despite its power; it was flesh and blood, and very small compared to him.

But this enemy was very different. It somehow held a large whirling void of darkness in its hand, and a stream of this darkness shot out of its center and struck the beast in the chest.

At once, the beast's skin split with a terrible cry as its bones and muscles stretched and expanded. Black fur gave way to green scales, the horns melted together to form a sharp green crest across its skull. Warm blood grew cool, more sluggish, and the rage turned to cold calculation behind reptilian eyes. The fifty-foot snake could taste its enemy in the very air, and it coiled, preparing to strike.

"Carrot!"

__

Tira …

A small, bright shape was almost overrun by a dark thing in its distraction, but luckily it recovered in time.

"Darling!"

__

Chocolate …

"Marron, you have to stop her!"

__

Marron…I'm sorry…

The torrent of darkness from the vortex in the enemy's hand was still flowing into the snake. Hissing and writhing, the snake's body contorted, drawing in on itself again. Cold blood abruptly blazed with heat as four dainty white legs with golden, cloven hooves erupted from the serpent's belly. And then a white horse's body and head were formed, and a terrible pain like its skull was splitting across its forehead heralded the birth of a single, ivory spiral horn.

__

I can't control this.

The dark void was coming for the unicorn. There was no time to escape. It could only trumpet its rage and make one last attempt to destroy the enemy.

Suddenly, the very fabric of the universe ripped apart. There was a horrible, wrenching _wrongness_ about it, as if something that wasn't supposed to happen _happened_. Fire flashed across the unicorn's vision, in the shape of a phoenix.

And then, with another shifting pull, the universe came back together, mending as if nothing had ever been torn.

And everything went black.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Carrot dreamed.

He was a bodiless entity, floating somewhere out of time and space. He could see and listen, but he could not touch or speak.

His eyes opened without lids to find himself staring at Chocolate's back. He found it odd, in a strangely detached way, that he had never really looked at her this closely, or noticed every little detail about her before. She was wearing her work outfit, with the black suspenders, black pants, and knee-high black leather boots. Her long red hair was hidden up underneath her dominatrix hat, but several wispy tendrils had escaped to flutter in the light breeze that touched her but not Carrot. Her shoulders were rigid as she gazed at something burning in the distance.

Carrot was struck by how pretty Chocolate suddenly seemed, in spite of the hat that symbolized her transformation into her ruthless side. His gaze traced her curves, greedily taking advantage of her lapse of attention. And then he was looking into her eyes; dull, vacant and lifeless blue eyes, as if someone had reached in and torn out a piece of her soul.

He tried to move closer to her, tried to reach out and touch her in vain. His lips moved to form the familiar syllables of her name, but no sound emerged.

Swirling black dissolved the scene, and there was a rushing in his ears reminiscent of speeding through a tunnel. Carrot wasn't sure, but he thought he might have screamed. Then it stopped as suddenly as it had begun.

Colors evolved, spun with the blackness as it receded, and formed concrete images once again. He found that he was watching his father, Onion Glace, as he drank sake with Mille Feuille.

__

Hey, Pop! What the hell's wrong with you?

Of course, no one heard him. This not being able to speak thing was getting very annoying.

Strangely, Onion was sobbing like a baby into the sake cup. Mille was talking to him, but Carrot couldn't hear what he was saying. The purple-haired Haz Knight looked more serious than Carrot could ever remember him being, but it didn't seem to be helping Onion at all. His large frame shook violently with his grief and tears poured freely down his cheeks.

Carrot blinked, confused and not a little disturbed, and abruptly realized that he was now looking over a room filled with flames. A large figure he somehow knew was Gateau strode purposefully through them, half-carrying, half-dragging a feebly protesting, soot-blackened Marron.

A wordless cry of alarm shaped itself on Carrot's lips, but again, no sound came out.

The vision of the burning chamber faded, dissolved, and solidified in a much more tranquil scene. It was the room he had shared with Marron when they were children in Mount Saint Hordic.

Moonlight from the window pooled on the floor in the darkened room, but it wasn't necessary to illuminate the young mage lying in one of the beds. His black hair spilled over the pillow around him in smooth midnight waves, and his arms were neatly stretched out along his sides. 

But the eyes belied the apparent serenity of their owner. They were mercilessly open, staring up at the ceiling with the expression of one who has watched his world die around him without being able to stop it. He looked as though he would be content to lie there until his body was forced to give up its relentless grasp on life.

The mage was dying, however slowly, right before his brother's horrified eyes. And there was nothing that could stop it.

Marron had always been the strong one in their group, acting as their center to ground them when things got hectic. No matter what they faced, he was invariably the one who would see them through it, with his intellect and his skills in Eastern Magic. 

Just seeing the calm, collected young mage reduced to this pitiful, comatose wreck tore Carrot far more deeply than any other image this nightmare had shown him so far.

__

No! Marron, don't do this! Carrot cried out soundlessly, wanting desperately to deny the despair, the inert, flat golden eyes too tired to burn with sorrow any longer.

Carrot tried to reach out to Marron, only to find that he was now watching Tira sobbing into Gateau's arms. The slender pink-haired girl clung to the big man as if his support was the only thing holding her up.

This was entirely too much, coming right on the heels of the emotionally charged scene where he'd witnessed the beginning of his brother's demise. A fierce wave of possessiveness overwhelmed him at the sight of Gateau's large hand buried in Tira's soft pink hair. It was followed swiftly by rage when he noticed the thick arm wrapped around her slim waist, trapping her against Gateau's much larger body.

__

Hey! Let go of her!

As far as Carrot was concerned, Gateau had _no right_ to touch her that way, to hold her so gently, as if she were the most precious thing in the world to him. Tira was _his_, and he'd be damned if he let someone else have her.

He actually strode forward to challenge the much larger man, but before he could, he was standing in the Stellar Church, right in the middle of Big Mama's audience hall.

Startled, he looked around to see that it was empty, except for Big Mama herself, who was seated on the steps leading up to her throne. Her head was bowed, an expression of ageless sorrow etched on her breath-taking features. Her arms were draped over her lap, and it took him a moment to realize that she was cradling the miserable, shaking form of Dota.

__

Oh, no. Not you too, Dota, Carrot gasped soundlessly, wondering what horrible thing had happened to put the winged girl into this state. He vowed inwardly that he would not rest until he had violently destroyed whatever or whoever it was that had done this to her. 

Before he could move, he was facing a very angry Chocolate. Her eyes were sharp, tempered blue steel, her dominatrix hat pulled low over her forehead. She held her coiled garrote in her gloved hands as she glared at him, which would have turned his knees to water - if he still had them.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you for taking my Darling away from me," she said in the low, threatening voice that had always sent chills up and down his spine.

Ironically, Carrot relaxed a little, realizing that she wasn't talking to him. She probably didn't even see him there. He stared up at her anyway, and his lips moved.

__

Chocolate, I never left you. Not really. I'd never_ leave you!_

But she didn't hear him. She was already dissolving.

And then she stood before him again with Tira.

The pink-haired girl embraced her sister, and some of the steel in Chocolate's eyes melted.

"He's coming back," Tira whispered.

A lump rose in Carrot's throat at the hope and love shining in Tira's eyes.

__

You mean me, don't you? Am I dead?

But no one answered him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Carrot knew that he was still dreaming even as he stood up in the bright, sunlit green field. It was like no other place he'd ever been before, and he stared around for several minutes before he realized that he had his body back. Then he looked down at his hands and grinned.

"All right! That's much better," he exclaimed with satisfaction. "Hey, I can talk again!"

He glanced around, hoping to see Marron and everyone else, but there was nothing but the gentle, rolling plain around him. Tall bright green grass swayed in the light breeze, sounding almost like the waves of the ocean. He turned, and saw a very tall and massive oak tree several paces from where he stood. He turned again and saw a forest curling like an out-flung arm around the edge of the field a half-mile away.

Frowning, he tilted his head back to the cloudless deep blue sky and shouted: "Well? Is there a point to this dream other than to confuse me? Just get on with it already!"

Nothing happened.

"Can't you just let me wake up?" he demanded. The field remained around him, completely unchanged by his words. "Che! I thought so."

Carrot kicked at the grass in frustration, prepared to give whoever was responsible for this a piece of his mind, when he saw a flicker of light out of the corner of his eye. He looked up, surprised, and watched as the flicker between him and the large tree became a wide oval-shaped thing.

A very pretty young woman stepped out of the oval thing, blinking dark brown eyes in the bright sunshine. Her hair was pulled back in long reddish brown plait that hung down her back, and her clothes were strange but not unflattering. She wore long white robes like a priestess, belted at the waist with a slender golden chain. The wind blew the robes flat against her body, showing off her curves quite nicely, he thought.

"I take it back," Carrot said to the sky again. Now that he had some company, the field didn't seem so boring anymore. Especially since most priestesses that he had heard of were virgins who wanted that particular condition removed from their persons. 

"Oh, pretty girl," he called out in a singsong voice, dashing over to her like a love-struck puppy, "will you come and play with me?"

But she didn't seem to notice him. In fact, she wasn't even looking at him as she gathered up her robes in her small hands. With a breath-taking smile on her full, sensual lips, she began to run toward the forest, well before Carrot could catch up to her. The tall grass parted like water before her, closing behind her again with a loud swish.

"Ah, the lovely lady fancies a game of tag, does she?" Carrot grinned, not discouraged in the least. "Well then, tag it its!"

With the boundless energy that could only come from his favorite hobby, he veered slightly to lope after her, laughing for pure joy. He half-wondered when Tira and Chocolate were going to show up and ruin his fun, but dismissed this thought as irrelevant. Somehow, he knew that he and the mysterious girl were alone in this field, and would remain that way.

This was what Carrot had always wanted: the freedom to chase after beautiful girls to his heart's content. Yet some foreign thought flickered just on the edge of his awareness, frustratingly elusive when he reached for it.

So Tira and Chocolate weren't there. So what? He'd better enjoy this while it lasted, because they'd give him the beating of his life when they caught up to him. No "ifs," "ands," or "buts" about it.

Carrot sped up as they entered the forest, following closely as the girl left the grass to run along a wide, hard-packed dirt path. He could see a quaint little house in a clearing up at the end of the path, surrounded by a garden of flowers.

"Pretty lady, is that your house?" Carrot asked, grinning slyly. "Did you bring me here to show me your bedroom?"

Ignoring him, she kept running toward the house, but her strides grew slower and more hesitant as they drew closer. Finally, she stopped several paces from the gate leading into the garden.

"Ah, it's no fun if you just let me catch you," Carrot laughed, running up to her. He reached out to playfully grab her arm. "Don't tell me you're having second thoughts…oh, my…"

His hand had gone right through her. Suddenly, he remembered that this was only a dream. Evidently, the events of this dream were still not under his control.

Carrot stared at her, taking another step so that he could see the anxious expression on her face. "What is this place?" he breathed. "Who are you, and why am I dreaming about you?"

The girl didn't answer. She bit her lip, her brown eyes searching the windows and the porch of the house as if afraid of what she would find there.

"I hope nothing's wrong," Carrot said, taking a step back from her. He put his arms up behind his head, watching her from lazy, slitted eyes, " 'cause I won't be able to help you if it is. Hell, you can't even hear me, so I may as well not be here."

Then a tall silver-haired man walked around the side of the house. He was dressed in plain blue clothes, covered in dirt, and carrying a pair of pruning shears in his gloved hand. His hair was long and pulled back from his face with a leather strip. He turned to move further into the garden, and stopped. His eyes flashed gold when he saw the girl hesitating outside the gate, but he did not seem surprised to see her there.

Carrot noticed that her hands clenched behind her back, and she stiffened slightly, like a child caught doing something naughty.

The silver-haired man simply gazed at the girl for a moment, then reached up to pull the leather strip from his hair. The silver strands poured like liquid down his back and shoulders, glinting in the sunlight. He spoke, and his deep voice seemed to resonate in Carrot's mind.

__

Ari. You're late.

The girl at Carrot's side blushed appealingly.

"Your name is Ari? That's pretty." Of course, she couldn't hear him, so it didn't really matter what he said. But it was important to Carrot that he tell her that, so he said it anyway.

Ari was still biting her lip, but she met the silver-haired man's eyes without flinching. _I know_, she replied, her voice also doing that weird echo-thingy in Carrot's mind. _I'm sorry, Reven-sensei._

Reven continued to stare at her almost expressionlessly for a long moment.

Carrot's eyebrow twitched. "Would you just say something, for crying out loud?" he snapped as the silence continued and Ari's flush deepened. "Stop tormenting her, you moron!"

Then Reven smiled faintly, tossing the pruning shears to the ground with a solid thump. He held out his arms to her, and the smile widened.

Ari gasped. Her hands unclasped, and a sudden hope lit her eyes.

__

Well? One silver eyebrow arched in amusement.

With a wordless cry of relief, Ari flew through the gate and into Reven's waiting arms. Her own arms locked around his neck like she'd never let him go, and she buried her face in his shoulder.

__

Welcome home, little one, Carrot heard Reven whisper.

Slowly, very, very slowly, the scene began to fade to black around Carrot.

"Hey, wait a minute!" he protested loudly. "I'm tired of this! This is the most peaceful thing you've shown me, and I'm not ready to leave yet!"

If anyone heard him, he was ignored.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Again, Carrot floated, this time in darkness so complete that no light filtered through anywhere. It was _really_ getting tiring.

"Does this seem odd to you?" It was a woman's voice. A _familiar_ woman's voice. _Chocolate_.

"What do you mean?" Another woman's voice answered the first one. Tira, perhaps?

"Does it seem like we should be somewhere else right now, doing something else?" Chocolate said uncertainly.

"Carrot's here. Where else would we be, sister?"

It _was_ Tira's voice. How could he have not recognized it?

"It does feel odd," a melodious deep male voice said. _Marron_ was the name that his brain supplied. "It's like I forgot something that I wanted to remember, something important."

"Yeah," said another male voice, this one a little rougher than the first. _Gateau_. "But what was it?"

They stopped speaking for a moment, and a low groan pierced the silence around him. He didn't realize that he was the one making the sound until a new voice rose in excitement: "Hey, he's waking up!"

It was that perverted, cross-dressing weirdo of a Haz Knight, Mille Feuille. What the hell was that freak doing here?

The voices of his teammates swirled around him in an eager kaleidoscope of sound. Carrot stirred, trying to move closer. It seemed important, for some reason, that he reach them, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out why.

"Carrot, open your eyes!"

He was closer now. His body was so heavy, like lead had replaced his bones. He vaguely thought that he might be trying to free himself from quicksand or something, it was so hard to move.

"Darling, don't leave me!"

Even closer, and it started to hurt. Groaning, he tried to move away from the pain, from the nagging voices that were relentless in pulling him from the darkness.

"Niisan, wake up. Please, wake up!"

Their voices only tugged harder, causing more agony to rip through his body. He'd always known that they wouldn't let him go so easily. Part of him was actually touched by their concern, even as he wished they'd shut up.

He wanted to scream at them, to make them leave him alone, but he couldn't make a sound. Dimly, he remembered a sunshine-drenched field of tall, swaying green grass. He concentrated on that memory, willing himself to be in that field again where no pain could touch him, but it slipped through the cracks in his mind and was gone.

"Damn it, you moron, are you just going to give up, after everything we went through to get you back?"

Carrot lost the battle. His eyes opened, and he sucked in air with an intensity that made all five of his friends jump back hastily.

"Niisan!" Marron's familiar voice was choked with tears.

Carrot's hand closed on Marron's arm, squeezing lightly. His brother's arm was reassuringly solid under his grasp.

"Mille," Carrot rasped, peering around for the purple-haired cross-dresser. He had to tell him something important, before all of it slipped away from him.

There was a brief scuffle of sound to one side. "Carrot, I'm here," Mille said, taking his free hand. "What is it?"

"She's home," Carrot told him sleepily. "She made it home … "

Exhausted, he fell asleep again.

To be continued…

Author's Notes (for those of you who are still reading): Now I've picked on every one of the Sorcerer Hunters, and there's only a few more things to clean up around here before I am finished. I am hoping for one final chapter.

My thanks for these reviews:

Tegasus: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying this. ^_^

Sweetgrass: Thank you! And at least you got an exclusive preview of the final product, so don't even complain about it to me. I'm still waiting for updates on several of your stories. ^_^

Takatome Ichido: Thank you! I'm sorry you didn't like Gateau's line. At least everything else was okay. ^_^ I really enjoy the story in the manga, and any little bit of canon information adds strength to my writing or inspires me when I get stuck. Hopefully, I'll be better about getting the next chapter up than I was about the last three. Sorry about that. ^_^

Bunny: Thank you! I'm glad you like it. The end is near! ^_^

Blue Pard: Thank you! I had fun writing Gateau in those two chapters. ^_^ And you were right - it wasn't just because of the light. The plaque commemorating their deaths were from a future that would have happened if they didn't return from the castle the second time they went there. Since they went back and changed that, it didn't happen, and the plaque was never made. Does that make sense? Cuteness will be coming up later. ^_^

Well, everyone who is still reading, thank you, and please review or email me to let me know how you think I'm doing. ^_^

~ Lady Cianyin ~


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